


From This World to That Which Is to Come

by solomonara



Series: The Demon's Progress [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Divergence, Demon!Dean, Destiel - Freeform, M/M, Post Season 9, by which I mean that no one dies in this fic who hasn't already died on the show, canon-appropriate character death, does that help?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-19 13:37:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 32,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2390276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solomonara/pseuds/solomonara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean has finally wrested control of Hell from Crowley (you know, more or less. For now). Now all that remains is to make it feel a little more like home. Sequel to To Reign in Hell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to part 3 of The Demon's Progress! If you haven't read parts 1 and 2, I do sort of encourage it - you may be a bit lost if you don't.
> 
> I know I tagged character death but, this being Supernatural, where 'death' typically just means a slight change in living quarters... well I'll let you decide how much you care about that. No one's gonna die here who hasn't already died in the canon (super reassuring, no?) If you're very worried, please feel free to ask me for specifics, whether in the comments here or by finding me on Tumblr under the same name.
> 
> Once again, this is canon divergence. Season 10 airs next week (!!!), but this work is already finished so... just hang on for the ride I guess? The good news is, because it's already done, I'll be able to maintain my three-posts-a-week schedule, so there's that :)
> 
> Beta'd, as usual, by the delightful [DragonSorceress22](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSorceress22/works).

 

 

_"...therefore no marvel, if, where the flesh only bears sway [...], he sells his birthright, and his soul, and all, and that to the devil of hell [...] When their minds are set upon their lusts, they will have them, whatever they cost."_

\- The Pilgrim's Progress, _John Bunyan_

 

**Chapter 1**

 

Sam shoved the gravel over the battered tin box with a profound sense of pointlessness. Crossroads demons had stopped appearing for him after he'd killed the first three, which, in retrospect, might have been an error in judgment. He'd been hoping Crowley would show up to defend the last tatters of his constituency, but that apparently was not a priority for him.

Sam leaned on the Impala's trunk, arms crossed, scuffing impatiently at the road with one foot.

"Boo."

Sam whirled, knife flashing out in an instant only to find Dean offering him an already-opened bottle of beer, another in hand for himself. The label was in German. Sam accepted it with a wry grin.

"You answering crossroads summons now? Isn't that a little below your pay grade, Your Highness?" Sam asked, taking a drink.

"Pretty sure that should be 'Your Lowness,'" Dean said. "And I just wanted to come up and tell you to stop wasting your time."

"Are the crossroads demons on your side now?" Sam asked.

"Not... exactly."

Sam looked askance at his brother. "Did you _murder_ all of them?"

"No, no. But they are somewhat indisposed. The good news is that they might crack eventually. Some of my kids are getting pretty good at..." He trailed off at Sam's look. "What?"

"Your kids?"

Dean shifted uncomfortably. "Hey, I've only got them working on enemies of the state. Demons. No human souls."

That wasn't exactly what Sam had been objecting to, but he let it slide. "You aren't concerned that you might need a crossroads demon or two at some point?"

"Nah. What do I want to make a bunch of deals for? Hell's got lots of human souls, and unless I'm planning on getting into a really big fight with Cas, I don't even need the ones I've got."

"Hey, have you _seen_ Cas lately?"

"Not since... probably about a month, your time." Exactly 21 days, actually. Dean had not seen Cas since Hell had been freshly reformed. It had changed a lot since then. "Why? He gone AWOL again?"

"No, I saw him just last week. He seems really busy with stuff in Heaven, though he hasn't said exactly what. But he asks about you every time I see him. I think he's worried about you."

"It's Cas. Worry is one of his default settings."

"I'm just saying, actually seeing each other might do something to alleviate that."

"Ok, thanks for that little nugget of wisdom, Oprah. Hey, how's the beer? I stopped by Dusseldorf on my way up."

Sam looked down at the bottle in his hand, which he had finished without really realizing it. "Oh, good. Um, why the sudden overseas trip? For that matter, why do you keep bringing me alcohol?" Sam asked. Every time Dean had turned up over the last month, it had been with bottle in hand.

Dean shrugged easily. "Figure it's payback since I keep taking your beer. No refrigerators down in Hell, you know."

Sam did not point out that Dean could just get _himself_ the beer from Germany or whatever else he took it into his head to bring Sam. He figured this was Dean working out some weird nurture complex, or dealing with guilt about how things had ended up. And if Dean compulsively providing Sam with beverages was the worst fallout from all this, Sam would be ecstatic.

The brothers leaned against the Impala in companionable silence for a while, watching the horizon the same way they had done a hundred thousand times before, each thinking his own thoughts. Finally, it began to get cold and Sam spoke.

"Do you think we're actually going to find Kevin?"

Dean's eyes flickered toward Sam then to the ground. "Probably not, honestly. If we haven't found him by now... how many places could there be to hide a ghost?"

"Yeah," Sam said, resigned. "I just - I hate not knowing what happened to him, and that there's nothing we can do about it. I know he was already dead, but that's not the same as losing him. I'm really sick of _losing_ people."

"Me too, Sammy. But what can you do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee, I dunno Dean, maybe you could try not lying horribly to your brother. Gosh.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 

Cas felt like he was on fire. No, he felt like he _was_ fire, burning out of control and spreading in all directions faster than thought. He didn't know where he ended or where he began. He was outlined in pain, but those lines kept breaking and crashing together again. He was oceans of pain, he was a constellation of pain. He needed to get it under control, inside his skin. He inhaled.

The pain narrowed in scope, but not in intensity. Cas took another breath and now he could identify individual sources of injury - his back, primarily, was a red-hot sheet of agony, so it was a good thing he'd landed face-down.

Landed?

Cas opened his eyes and tried to push himself up, but his arms collapsed under him, driving his face back into rough asphalt. He could feel broken pieces of stone and crumbled concrete beneath him and shifted slowly onto his side so that he could get a better look around. He regretted it immediately as his back screamed in protest. His bones felt like they were grinding against each other and his muscles barely responded. The pavement scraped against his hip and side and he realized he was naked. But at least he could look around.

He found himself in the middle of a small crater on an unfamiliar two-lane road. Based on the damage radiating out from him, he had the distressing suspicion that he had caused the crater. But the road was broken in other places too, large sections buckled and cracked. At its edges, a forest of trees with black bark and an impenetrable canopy of dark leaves seemed eager to steal the land back from the highway that sliced through it. The only stretch of sky Castiel could see was directly above the road, and it was starless.

A spike of adrenaline went through him as he realized where he was. It wasn't enough to get him on his feet, though - only enough that he was able to drag himself forward out of the rubble he had created on impact. He felt the desperate need to get out of the open, but he just didn't have the strength. With each movement, he felt as though the skin was being flayed from his back - which, for all he knew, might have been what had happened to him. He only managed to drag himself a few inches before collapsing to the shattered road again, gulping deep breaths and blinking rapidly to try and clear his vision because the pain had dropped a veil of static over his eyes.

And then something grabbed his ankle and dragged him back. The bare skin of his chest scraped over the asphalt, but Cas didn't even have a scream left in him. Or, he didn't think he did. When whatever had grabbed him roughly rolled him over onto his back, he found that there was still something in him that could react to a new level of pain and a scream of agony tore its way out from behind his teeth. His back arched away from the ground, but a booted foot landed in the middle of his chest and pinned him back down, reducing him to writhing anguish as his vision faded in and out. One hand clutched ineffectively at the boot while his heels scraped the surface of the road, trying to get away.

"What the hell is _this?_ " a scornful voice asked from somewhere above Cas's prone form.

"Some soul that wandered out of the woods, probably," another one answered. "We should help it get back." From the tone of the speaker's voice, Castiel gathered that this would not be a good thing. His vision finally swam into focus and he saw three demons looking down at him. Fine. Three demons, he could handle.

Ignoring the pain as best he could, he gripped the ankle of the demon holding him down and wrenched it as hard as he could. These demons clearly weren't expecting a fight, so Cas figured he could smite at least one of them while the leader was off balance.

Except it didn't work. The one stepping on him wobbled a little and looked down in mild surprise. He looked more closely at Castiel. "Hang on," he said. "This ain't a soul."

Then the boot was gone and Cas was being hauled to his feet by the throat. The demon dragged him up and peered into his face and if he would just get a little closer, Cas would be able to get a hand on his forehead. But he didn't.

"Fuck, it's Castiel!" the demon holding him exclaimed, and dropped him as though he'd burned his hand. Cas collapsed to the ground and the other two demons took a startled step back. Now would be the time to strike, Castiel thought, if only he could move. He gathered his arms beneath himself and tried to rise - slowly this time.

"Shit, look at his back. What the fuck," one of the demons whispered.

"Let's get out of here," the other suggested.

"Wait," the leader said. "Look at him. He ain't gonna do nothin' to us." The demon knelt in front of Cas and grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. "Are ya, _Cas_?"

Cas spat in his face. It was the only thing he _could_ do, but unfortunately it didn't even faze the demon. Instead, he grinned wide and dug his nails into the skin of Castiel's face, eyes promising that he'd enjoy every ounce of Cas's pain.

But then the grin turned to a grimace and the eyes went blank. The demon's grip slackened as he fell to the side, then exploded into smoke. Cas fell forward, barely able to brace himself on one arm as the other two demons met the same fate.

"Dean," he breathed, relief flooding him.

"Sorry, princess, but your Dean's in another castle," an accented voice drawled. Cas's head shot up. Crowley was standing over him, flanked by a demon of his own, one in the guise of a Japanese woman wearing an extremely well-tailored business suit.

"Crowley," Cas growled.

"Better. Now come on, we've got places to be."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"It's adorable that you think you have a choice." Crowley nodded to the demon accompanying him and Castiel braced himself. But all she did was grab him by the arm and pull him to his feet, even dragging his arm across her shoulders because he clearly couldn't support himself. Then Crowley took his other arm and everything faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am starting to think Cas spends more time naked than otherwise in this series... how tragic.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 

A small group of demons broke through the outer border of Hell's relatively new forest of souls and surveyed the wasteland in front of them. There were five of them, part of the teams Dean had scouring Hell in search of any hint of Crowley. They were nearing the end of their sweep and would soon have to report another failure to Shara, who was in charge of the operation.

"Think we should check out there?" one of them wondered. He had given himself the face of an adolescent boy with freckled skin.

"No way," answered another, who looked like a middle-aged woman with immaculately braided hair. "We were assigned fourth circle. That's gotta be fifth."

The gray and barren land in front of them rose slightly, then dipped again, partially concealing a great fire that raged in the distance. It stained the sky with an orange glow that was always visible outside the forest. The cracked and broken road that pierced the forest all the way to the king's base of operations also stretched in this direction, for all anyone knew leading straight to the source of the blaze.

No one went near it. The king himself avoided the area. No one would say he was _afraid_ of whatever was out there, but when the demon who ruled Hell, bore the First Blade, and was on speaking terms with Lucifer avoided a thing, a regular old demon would have to be pretty stupid to go poking it themselves.

"We've looked everywhere else," chimed in a slim teenager. "He could be hiding out there."

"Please. This is just busy work. Crowley's gotta be on Earth. No way he'd camp out somewhere _Dean_ can't handle. Crowley didn't even go out past the fifth circle when he was in charge," the braided woman pointed out.

"You're right. Ok, let's report back. If we hurry, we can have some time to mess with the forest souls before Shara thinks of something else for us to do."

The others nodded their agreement and the pack plunged back into the forest.

From the second story of the burning house that was the source of the orange smudge across Hell's sky, Crowley watched them go and relaxed incrementally. It would only take one curious demon catching him before he had a chance to move himself and his new houseguest to make Dean get over his aversion to this place very quickly.

 

*

 

Cas woke again to fire. Only this time, it was actual fire. He was looking at a wooden staircase engulfed in flames. But it wasn't being consumed in any way - just wreathed in dancing orange tongues of fire.

He was laying on his stomach on a cold concrete floor and, based on the stairway leading up, he seemed to be in a basement of some sort. He was still sore and naked, but the worst of the pain was gone. He pushed himself into a kneeling position so that he was sitting on his heels, and the skin across his back only stretched and tightened uncomfortably instead of robbing him of consciousness with blinding bursts of scorching agony.

The door at the top of the burning staircase opened and Cas immediately looked around for a weapon. There was nothing: just himself in this small, concrete basement. No windows, no shelving, nothing. So Cas did nothing but sit and gather his strength as Crowley descended the stairs, apparently unconcerned by the fire.

"Well, look who's finally awake."

"What do you want, Crowley?"

"Straight to business. I see Falling to the depths of Hell hasn't changed you all that much."

"I... Fell?"

"Hard. What, you don't remember?" Crowley's eyes narrowed as he considered Castiel. "You _don't_ remember. You must be even more confused than usual."

"I know we're in Hell. Which means it's only a matter of time before Dean finds you."

Crowley smirked. "Ah, yes. The fearless King of Hell. Castiel, my dove, I have been in Hell since I Houdini'd my way out of Moose and Squirrel's top secret clubhouse. It's the one place I can't be trapped, exorcised, or tortured, even if Dean does find me here. Which he won't."

"Then I'll take care of you myself," Castiel said, finally finding the strength to surge to his feet. He grabbed Crowley's shoulder to stop him from teleporting away and placed a palm on his forehead, focusing.

Nothing happened.

Crowley stood there patiently as Castiel took an uncertain step backward, staring at his hand in consternation.

"Bit slow on the uptake there, Cas? You Fell. Capital F, by the way, all the way to Hell. No angel has fallen this far since Satan himself, so congrats on that." Crowley conjured a chair out of nowhere and sat down in front of Cas, then gestured for another one to appear just behind Cas. It bumped against the backs of his knees and he fell into it. "I'm afraid you'll find you're quite stuck here. No flitting out of Hell, no smiting. And no rescue. Hell may be Dean's, but this place is Dean's Hell, so you might as well get used to it."

"Why wouldn't you just kill me?" Cas asked, truly perplexed.

"Ah," Crowley said, crossing one leg over the other and steepling his fingers. "This is what you might call a calculated risk. Sure, your angel powers aren't working at the moment - but that's just because you need to learn different ways of using them. Hell-oriented ways. Think about it: Lucifer became even more powerful after he Fell. You learn to use Hell, and you should end up almost as strong as he is."

"And you... want this?"

"I want Dean off my bloody throne!" Crowley exclaimed, then calmed himself. "I can show you things. Shouldn't be too difficult for you - Hell's a lot like Heaven now. You imagine it, it happens for you. Except it tends to lead the undisciplined mind toward imagining an awful lot of torture. It _is_ low maintenance though," Crowley said with a hint of grudging admiration.

"Why would you help me? You think... I would use whatever power I have against Dean?"

"Well yes, given that he's the one who put you in this position to begin with. He set you up, Tinkerbell. He's been waiting for you to Fall and if he knows it's happened, he'll tear Hell apart trying to find you."

Castiel didn't bother to stop his smile. "Good."

"No, _not_ good. I swear the patented Winchester thickness must be contagious. Were you not listening when I said Dean _set you up_?"

"Demons lie, Crowley."

"Yes! And Dean is one! Why am I the only one who seems to be able to remember that little detail? Dean visited the bloody Cage, Castiel. Where else would you go to find out how to make an angel Fall all the way down to this pit? I bet he said something to you, set you deliberately in the path of something Heavenly that you shouldn't have been touching, and now here you are."

Cas's eyebrows contracted. "No... he told me not to..."

"Not to what?" Crowley asked, leaning forward.

"The grace..." Cas dropped his head into his hands, remembering: a long search, a golden warmth trickling through a Heavenly garden, reaching out... His head throbbed and he couldn't stop a groan.

"Remembering now, are we? You see what he's done to you. He's out of control, Castiel, and only you and I can stop him. You help me knock him down, and I'll even let you keep him when we're done."

"No." Cas looked up at Crowley, eyes blazing. "None of this is Dean's fault, and I will _not_ let you hurt him."

Crowley threw his hands up in frustration. "I give up. Should have known I couldn't tell an angel to give up his blind faith." Crowley stood. "Stay here then. Maybe you'll be worth something as a hostage eventually. Try not to let Hell get to you in the meantime."

"You can't hold me here," Cas said, rising himself. He managed it, too, standing toe to toe with Crowley.

"Oh, Cas." Crowley's expression was genuinely pitying. "I don't _need_ to hold you here. You're weak as a kitten. You can't even conjure yourself a bathrobe, let alone fend for yourself outside these benevolent confines."

Drawing on years of watching Sam and Dean resolve tense situations and navigate their way out of hopeless corners, Castiel, powerless and injured and alone, responded by throwing a punch.

Or, he tried to. He'd barely drawn back his fist when he heard a clink of metal and a chain shot out of the wall behind him to loop around his wrist, arresting it abruptly. "What...?"

"I know. Who ever thought mere chains could confine the fearsome Castiel?" Crowley said, shaking his head.

"You - ungh!" Another chain shot out and over his shoulder, wrapping around his chest. It tightened, pulling him backward and up until his toes barely skimmed the floor and his back pressed against the wall, reigniting the wounds there. The chain around his right hand tightened as well, pinning it to the wall above his head. Cas grabbed at the chain around his chest with his free hand, but though it seemed to be nothing but ordinary metal, he couldn't dislodge it. More chains leaked from the walls and snaked down to reinforce the one binding his chest, and soon his other arm was pinned as well. Crowley watched it all passively.

"You see, Cas, this is only partially my doing. You fear being trapped in Hell, and Hell is quick to prey on fears. I'm just giving it a little nudge." He stepped forward and reached out to pat Cas on the cheek while he seethed ineffectually. "I'm certain Lucifer never had this sort of setback, but there, there. Perhaps you'll grow out of it. I'll come back later to see if you've changed your mind - try not to imagine anything worse than this in the meantime, eh?"

Crowley turned on his heel and left the basement without a second look back. Cas waited until he was gone to truly struggle against the chains. They clinked against each other, and Cas scraped his back a few agonizing times, but there was nothing he could do. He subsided, letting the chains take his full weight. His strength was gone, his _grace_ was gone. He couldn't even hear the other angels anymore.

In the cold basement of a house perpetually afire, lit only by the flames of a staircase that would not burn, Cas hung in his bonds and felt despair creep into the edges of his mind.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, season 10 airs tomorrowwwwwww!!! I hope they have nicer things planned for Cas than I do...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 

Kevin was getting very good at throwing knives. There were plenty of them in the basement 'haven' of Dean's center of power in Hell, and he amused himself by sending them speeding through the air at his hallucinations. It took a different kind of focus than moving objects on Earth, but once he got the hang of it, it was actually easier. Hell allowed less tangible things like him to manipulate 'reality' much more readily than Earth did.

So far, Sam, Castiel, and his mother had all come down the steps to 'save' him. After the first time - when Sam had ended up setting him on fire - he flung knives at all of them. He wasn't so bad off that the knives would actually stick in the hallucinations: if they went through to stab the stairs, he knew what he was seeing wasn't real.

So he didn't hesitate to shoot a knife at Dean as soon as he reached the middle of the stairs.

But this time the knife vanished and Dean just kept walking like he hadn't seen anything. Kevin's eyes widened and he looked back at the table where he thought he'd lifted the knife from. It was still there.

"Oh, hell," he said.

"What's wrong, kid?"

"What's wrong? What's _wrong?_ I'm in Hell, Dean, what do you _think_ is wrong?"

"Hey man, it's not my fault you chose to move on and you went down instead of up."

"What?"

"You moved on - thought the whole prophet gig meant a free pass to Heaven, didn't you? Sorry, buddy. Ghosts only go to Hell," Dean said.

"This... this is another hallucination."

"You keep telling yourself that, kid," Dean said, picking up the same knife that Kevin had tried to throw at him earlier. "Now hold still."

Kevin knew he was a ghost. He knew a knife couldn't hurt him, other than temporarily disrupting him if the iron content was high. That didn't stop him from panicking: this was Hell, and the illusion of torture _was_ the real thing.

And that was why, when the real Dean descended the stairs not ten minutes later, he found the ghost of Kevin Tran huddled in a corner with his knees drawn up to his chest and his head buried in his arms.

"Kevin! Hey, Kevin, what's wrong?"

Kevin picked his head up, saw Dean, and suddenly a knife was flying through the air straight at Dean's face. Dean caught it and looked down on Kevin with raised eyebrows. "The fuck was that, kid?"

"Don't hurt me!"

"I'm not... Ok, look, it's the hallucinations. They can't hurt you Kevin."

The ghost remained unconvinced. Dean swore.

"Bela! Where are you?" he called. She poked her head out of a side room.

"The same place you are," she said.

"Can you do something about this?" Dean asked, gesturing at the huddled and panicking Kevin. Bela often had a calming effect on him, for whatever reason. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she had taken to carrying his ring around with her.

Bela crossed the room and knelt next to Kevin, studying him critically for a few moments. Then she said, "1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13."

"21, 34, 55..." Kevin replied, without seeming to think about it. He took a deep breath, then continued to chant increasingly large numbers, growing calmer with each.

"Fibonacci sequence," Bela said. "He'll be fine somewhere in the 6000s."

"He'd be fine if you'd take him out of Hell," Kevin said, rising to his feet. It didn't take long to get up to the 6000s in the Fibonacci sequence.

"Kevin, I told you, it's not safe with Crowley running around loose."

Kevin glared balefully at Dean and Bela stepped between them. "Kevin, come look at the sigils in this room. They have ratios. It's very distracting," she said, gesturing to the room she'd just come from. Kevin sighed.

"Fine," he said, and followed her into the room. Dean watched them go, worried. He had hoped that Kevin, with his strength of mind, would have adjusted to Hell by now, mastered his hallucinations. Bela was an odd one, half-mad and still just a soul (though Dean suspected she was one hard push away from hitting demonhood), but she had her rituals and coping mechanisms. Kevin hadn't been down here as long as she had, though. Dean wondered if maybe he should see about getting Kevin a body to possess, if that would help, or if he should just let Hell do its thing naturally until Kevin... grew used to living here.

Dean shook his head and left the workshop. He needed someone to talk to about all this. Hopefully that would be Cas, soon, but until then he could go work on Sam.

 

*

 

Sam was in northern Michigan following up what he had thought would be a lead on Crowley. It had turned out to be just normal demonic activity. Sam had caught, interrogated, and eventually killed the demon in question, who had had no useful information for him. Job done, he was now sitting in a motel room as midnight approached, nursing a growing headache as he re-read all of his notes and scoured news reports for anything he might have missed. It wasn't like Crowley to stay quiet for this long, and 'migraine' was starting to become a default state of being for Sam.

He had his eyes closed and was pinching the bridge of his nose in a vain effort to relieve some pressure when he suddenly sensed he wasn't alone anymore. His eyes shot open and he turned his back to the wall immediately, groping for a weapon - but it was just Dean.

"Would it kill you to call first? You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days," Sam griped.

"Sorry," Dean said, not sounding sorry at all. He did hold out an extra-large coffee that he'd picked up on the way in, though.

"What, Germany run out of beer?" Sam asked, though he accepted the cup gratefully.

"Never happy, are you?"

"Happiness doesn't tend to end well for us, Dean," Sam pointed out.

"Wow, you're just a ray of sunshine today. Drink, it'll make you feel better."

Sam rolled his eyes, but took a sip of the coffee. The warmth _did_ feel good, and he could even feel his headache receding a little. Another drink, and it was practically gone. Sam relaxed in his chair with a contented sigh that he didn't even realize he'd made.

"So what brings you topside?" he asked.

"Man can't go see his brother without an ulterior motive?"

"A man might. The King of Hell is usually a different story," Sam said. "What's up?"

Dean shrugged and flopped backward on the bed, legs hanging off the end. "I'm at a dead end, Sam. Crowley's fucking _vanished_ , and for that matter I can't find Tevye either. Put those two things together and it's enough to make a guy pretty nervous."

"You've tried summoning him?"

"Of course I've tried summoning him. You know as well as I do that demons don't have to show up even if you call. He's not answering any more than Crowley is."

"I can't believe you've got so many demons searching and they haven't turned up _anything_."

"Well, you haven't met my demons. There isn't too much competence down there, Sam. I've got a couple who are management-quality, but the rest... it's not the same as working with you guys."

Sam gave a little laugh. "Think I met one of your less competent minions today, actually," he said. "Was trying to start a coven here. Lacked subtlety - I ganked him before he even really got started. Hope that's not an issue."

"Nah," Dean said, completely unconcerned. "I've made no secret of the fact that I've got no protection for idiots who get themselves caught by hunters. No one expects me to control you, Sam. It's enough that they all think Cas is at my beck and call."

"Well they're not exactly _wrong_ about that, are they? Hey, have you talked to him yet?"

Dean sat up. "No, actually. I was kind of expecting him to - well, never mind. I'm sure he's busy. Hey, has he said anything to you about what he's working on right now?"

Sam shook his head slowly. "No. Now that I think about it, I haven't talked to him since before I talked to you last. It's been a while." He and Dean exchanged a look. "You think we should..."

"Yeah," Dean said. "Cas?" he called. Sam looked around, but Cas did not appear. "You got angel wards on this place?" Dean asked. Sam shook his head, so Dean tried again. "Castiel. You're kind of worrying us, man. If you could put in an appearance right about now, that'd be great."

"Ok, that's weird," Sam said, definitely worried now. It had been a very long time since Cas had ignored a call from Dean, and every time it had happened in the past the results were never good.

Dean stood abruptly and began pacing the small room, suddenly full of energy that needed an outlet. "I'm going to look for him. You hear from him, you summon me, got it?"

"Yeah, but--"

Dean vanished before Sam could even point out that if Cas was in Heaven, there was no way he'd find him. He sighed and closed his laptop and started packing up his notes. At least his headache was gone now, and there was one last thing he wanted to try to get Crowley's attention.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't decide what's the most distressing thing about this chapter: Cas not answering Dean, Dean's plans for Kevin, or Sam drinking coffee at midnight. You sleep cycle is important, Sam!
> 
> Btw, if anyone was following Krissy's blog during To Reign in Hell, she's gonna be picking it up again. You don't have to read it to get everything that's going on in this story, but I've been told it's enjoyable :)
> 
> EDIT: Chapter 5 will be just slightly later than usual - expect it late Saturday night (You know. Depending on your time zone.)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Please direct your eyes up to the tags and that little warning that says 'Graphic Depictions of Violence'. This chapter is why that's there!
> 
> I don't think it's any worse than anything you'd see on the actual show, but sometimes having it described rather than shown on TV can make it seem worse so... read with care, please! And, as always, if you ever see anything in my work that you wish I had warned for, just let me know. I have no problem adding tags and warnings for you guys.

**Chapter 5**

Deep in Hell, aching, beaten, powerless, and chained to a wall somewhere no one would ever find him, Cas picked up his head.

"Dean." The word formed in a throat dry and gravelly with disuse, fell from a tongue swollen with silence. Dean was calling him.

Cas shifted and the chains clinked. The soul he was dedicated to protect, broken and twisted though it might be, was calling out to him in need. He could hear it even here, even Fallen, and he strained forward. He would not be kept from Dean. Stronger forces than mere chains and hellfire had tried and all had failed, because nothing, _nothing_ could keep him from answering that call.

And with that thought, the chains melted away and Cas dropped to the ground in a crouch. As he rose, fabric fell around him - a familiar tie, a long coat: Clothing he had worn for years and which therefore sprang easily to mind. He gave it barely any thought as he swept up the burning stairs, still all too aware of his own vulnerability in Hell, but learning, always learning.

The door at the top of the stairs wasn't even locked, and he emerged onto the main level of the house, looking around curiously. Flames roiled up the walls and across the ceiling, burning without actually consuming anything. Cas could barely feel their heat and wondered at their purpose as he moved silently and cautiously through the house.

Every room was furnished just as a human household on Earth might be, right down to the photographs on the walls. Cas looked a little closer at one of these, and drew back in realization.

The picture showed a man and a woman and their two children - one a babe in arms, and the other a small boy around five. Cas knew them all, even before the photograph began to warp and morph, the woman's flesh catching fire and blackening even as she smiled. Cas turned away, sickened and aching for Dean, more determined than ever to go to him.

He found the door of the house, but before he could reach it a demon stepped in front of him - the one wearing the guise of a businesswoman who had helped Crowley drag him here.

"You're not leaving, angel. Crowley's orders," she said.

Cas didn't bother speaking with her, or asking her where Crowley was - he knew how Hell worked now, and if he focused, he could shape it to his own ends. An angel blade appeared in his hand and he attacked.

But he was still relying on his normal strength, which he did not have here, and the demon easily caught his hand and pressed his wrist so that the blade dropped into her own hand. Without a pause, she tried to stab him with it, but Cas twisted out of the way so that the blade only scraped along his side. It tore through fabric and hot pain erupted along his ribs as his dodge turned into a fall.

He caught himself on a burning wall, but in the moment of falling toward the flames, he forgot that they couldn't hurt him. And so they did. His hands burned as he jerked away, losing his focus. The demon, behind him now, raised the blade to stab again, but this time Cas threw himself to the floor and dodged past her. He rose with an elbow to her spine, then took hold of her and hurled her head-first into the wall, stole back the angel blade and stabbed her with it. He shoved his way out the door before she even finished turning to smoke.

And then he was running. The broken and twisted road that lead through the forest crashed up right against the porch of the burning house, but Castiel ignored it and sprinted across the wasteland, making for the cover of the trees.

His side was bleeding freely and his hands and arms were burnt. Instinctively, he tried to heal himself and stumbled as he found only a yawning void where angelic power had once been. He fell to his hands and knees in the gray scrub and dirt, the pain from landing on his burned hands eclipsed by swelling nausea and vertigo. The angel blade skittered away and vanished into nothingness, but Cas hardly noticed. He stayed there for a few moments, breathing heavily, until the clink of chains behind him made him whip his head around in panic.

There was nothing there, though, and no sign of pursuit, so Cas got to his feet and continued his mad dash to the forest, thanking whoever might be listening that Crowley didn't seem to be around.

Cas achieved the treeline and instantly slowed - not because he felt safe, but because the soil the trees grew from wasn't soil at all. It was a thick, tar-like sludge that sucked at Cas's feet as he tried to run and a smell like hot asphalt rose around him. He reached out to grab a tree branch to haul himself forward, but pulled his hand back in shock as a deep cut was added to the burns there. His blood dripped into the sludge, both from the new cut and the wound on his side as Cas took a closer look at the trees.

Their bark was actually razor-sharp black glass and metal. Branches crisscrossed in front of him and on all sides, few enough that he thought he might make it through intact if he was very, very careful. At least he wouldn't have to worry about leaving a trail: the sludge closed over his tracks whenever he dragged a foot free of it.

He moved on slowly but determinedly, wincing every time he strayed too close to a tree or branch and it sliced easily through his coat. He was just starting to think he should have taken the road after all and handled whatever demons accosted him in the open when he heard the baying of Hellhounds behind him.

Cas paled and stumbled forward, heedless now of the branches. The Hellhounds were Crowley's, and they were coming for him. Dean had none of his own trained, and even if he had, what would he be doing letting them loose in Hell? Cas used his arms to shield his face as he plunged deeper into the forest, reasoning that the trees would have to slow down the Hounds as well.

Cas knew, on some level, that he did not have to fear the Hounds. If he could muster some sort of power, as he had begun to do in the burning house, he could fight them. But the woods were dark and deep, and bent his mind in other directions instead. As the Hounds' howls sounded closer and closer, Cas also picked up the rattle of chains from ahead. He changed direction abruptly, shredding his clothing and skin even more as he crashed through a particularly thick stand of trees...

...and right into some poor soul's personal Hell. It was the traditional sort of Hell, with the soul stretched on a rack and a demon standing over it, carving out slices of flesh. Sensing an intrusion, the demon turned, knife dripping and eyes black. It had Dean's face.

Cas stumbled back, knowing it wasn't truth, knowing that Hell could mess with anyone's mind. But he stumbled straight into another soul's tormented imaginings, and then another's, until he was so disoriented that the baying of the Hounds was now coming from in _front_ of him.

He stopped himself abruptly, breathing heavily. His clothing was in tatters and his flesh was not in much better condition. He needed to calm himself and take control.

He picked a direction and headed that way, steadily and confidently, passing through a few more areas of torment, but keeping his head this time - until finally he emerged from one and ran straight into something solid.

It was a demon, but Cas only laughed in relief. Here was something he could fight. The demon was looking at him in astonishment that was quickly turning to glee, and Cas braced himself. He was tired and bleeding from a thousand cuts, as well as his earlier wounds, but he felt he could still take on a demon.

And then the demon's three friends emerged from the trees. Cas began to back away slowly, rethinking confrontation. Maybe he could lose them in one of the hallucinations he'd passed through already. But then a fifth demon came out of the forest behind him, and Cas was surrounded.

 

*

 

Dean appeared in Hell already shouting for his lieutenants. Ravi, Leela, Shara, and Orion dropped whatever they were working on in Dean's base of operations and the surrounding forest and ran to meet him on the road out front.

"Give me everything weird that's happened since I spoke to you last," he ordered. They offered him up a welter of information - plenty of stuff that could be considered 'weird' happened on a regular basis in Hell - but none of it was particularly useful until Orion mentioned that a few demons from his contingent had gone missing in the woods.

"Missing? How do you know?"

"The three of them were supposed to report to Shara for search duty and never did," Orion said. "It's not that weird... most demons aren't real disciplined. I was just gonna punish them when they turned up again."

"Ok, well, we can start there. What else?"

All fell silent, though, as a deep, reverberating howl echoed in the distance.

"Well... I guess _that's_ a little weird," Ravi said.

"Hellhounds," Dean said, lip curling in distaste. " _Crowley_." And he vanished, launching himself further up the road and leaving his demons blinking in the darkness.

 

*

 

One of the demons had Cas pushed up against the broad trunk of a tree, holding him up by the throat and laughing as Cas's struggles opened new cuts anywhere his body was touching the bark. The other demons were arrayed behind this one. Some sported bruised eyes and bloodied noses, but Cas had been unable to seriously injure any of them. He was beaten, without even the mental fortitude to bend Hell into producing a weapon for him.

"I say we open him up and see what's inside," one of them suggested.

"Could be educational," another one agreed, pulling out a knife. "Get him on the ground, I need a flat surface to work on."

The demon holding Cas threw him down into the sludge, which oozed out of the way and then hardened in response to the demons' desires. The one with the knife stood over Cas while two others grabbed his arms and pinned him down.

"Try to hold still," the knife-wielding demon suggested with a grin, kneeling with a leg on either side of Cas and pressing the knife to Cas's chest. Cas gritted his teeth and glared, bracing himself for more pain. At this point a knife seemed rather mundane.

He had forgotten about the Hellhounds, though.

Two of the beasts bounded out of the forest and tore into the demons indiscriminately. The one holding the knife to Cas got his throat ripped out immediately and three other demons met the same fate in short order. Two of the demons had the mental presence to run, and one of the Hounds shot off in pursuit. The remaining one turned to Castiel, who was trying to at least sit up, and pounced on him with a ferocious growl.

Cas's head cracked against the still-solid ground as two enormous paws slammed into his shoulders. Claws like knives dug in and dragged deep welts down his chest as a mouthful of fangs went for his throat. Cas shut his eyes.

But the weight on him suddenly lifted and the teeth never closed on his throat.

"Cas?"

"Dean..." Cas murmured as Dean's worried face appeared above him. He struggled to sit up, then caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "Dean, behind you!"

The second Hellhound had returned. Dean spun, lashing out with the First Blade, and dispatched it as quickly as he had the first. "Were there only two?"

"I think so," Cas said, and Dean turned back to him. Cas knew he must be in terrible condition based on the change that came over Dean's face when he looked at him. "Dean..." he said, not even trying to sit up anymore, just lying there and staring straight up at the dark canopy of the trees. "I'm sorry... I couldn't come... when you called," he said, every word an effort. He blinked, but then found it was too much trouble to open his eyes again, especially as the pain receded to be replaced with blissful oblivion.

"Cas? Cas!" Dean knelt beside him doing a quick visual check. Cas's injuries were bad, but he definitely wasn't dead. He'd just passed out. Dean gritted his teeth and scooped Cas up in both arms, flinching when Cas cried out in pain at being moved. His eyes fluttered open briefly, but then he gave up his hold on consciousness again and Dean sighed in relief.

He turned to head back to the road, then paused, looking back at the two Hellhound corpses. Crowley had to be somewhere nearby... but then he glanced down at the broken and bloody angel in his arms and shook his head. Crowley could wait.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta told me she actually thought Dean was gonna drop Cas and go after Crowley. Come on. Dean's not _that_ far gone.
> 
> ...is he?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 

When Dean appeared back at base bearing an unconscious angel and growled at everyone to _get the fuck out,_ no one so much as hesitated. Dean kicked open a door off the main room, deciding that he needed the room on the other side to be a bedroom, and laid Cas down gingerly on the bed that obligingly appeared in the corner. He shut the door, then turned and examined Cas seriously for the first time since finding him, wondering where the hell to even start.

Cas's clothes were shredded and soaked in blood and tar. Dean couldn't even see the rest of the injuries through that mess, so he started by cutting Cas's clothes off and cleaning him up as best he could. The more the warm water and peeled-away clothing revealed, the deeper Dean's scowl became. Cas was in awful shape.

His entire body was covered in thousands of cuts and lacerations from the forest. There were also deep bruises around his wrists and across his chest and shiny burns on his hands and forearms. The eight gouges from the Hellhound's claws - four on each shoulder, scything down into his chest - would have to be treated immediately, and there was also a deep cut along his ribs that Dean recognized from experience as an angel blade wound.

But as bad as all of that was, what Dean saw when he gently turned Cas over to pull the rest of his shredded clothing away made him stop cold.

There were just as many cuts here from the forest, but in addition, spread across the once-smooth planes of Cas's back were angry black scorch marks. The skin was dark red where it wasn't blackened, and where it _was_ blackened, it was in the pattern of feathers. It started between his shoulder blades and spread out and down to cover the whole of his back, some of the scorching curling around to his sides. Dean wondered whether, if he found the place where Cas had landed, he would find the rest of the pattern. He reached out slowly, stopping just short of touching, transfixed by this evidence of Cas's Fall.

"Oh, Cas," he murmured. Cas groaned in response and Dean pulled his hand back. "Hey, Cas, don't move, ok? You're safe." He wasn't sure if Cas could hear him or if he simply wasn't capable of moving, but he didn't. Dean turned him as gently as he could onto his back, which would hurt like hell but was the only way Dean could get to the gouges in his chest and side to treat them. Already they had stained the bed with blood and they didn't look like they were ready to stop bleeding any time soon.

Cas's head lolled and his eyes remained closed as Dean moved him, which was a relief. For all the destructive power he possessed, there was nothing he could do and nothing Hell would do to accelerate healing. He'd have to do this the old fashioned way.

Cas woke up while Dean was halfway through stitching the wound in his side. He came to with a jerk and Dean froze, bent over him and clutching the needle carefully to avoid pulling out the stitches he'd finished. Cas's eyes darted from Dean, then down to the bandages swathing his chest and shoulders, and let out a tense breath. Dean could tell he was forcing himself to relax.

"You're going to be ok, Cas. Let me just finish taking care of this, ok?"

Cas nodded but said nothing, keeping preternaturally still while Dean closed the wound and covered it with a clean, white square of bandaging.

"Ok, done. Can you sit up? You should get off your back, it's... it looks pretty bad, Cas."

"It feels that way, as well," Cas said. He went to use his hands to push himself up, then winced when he put pressure on the burned skin. Dean grabbed his upper arms instead and pulled him slowly into a sitting position, helping him shift to the edge of the bed, then crouching in front of him. His hands were stained with blood from treating Cas's injuries and left red smudges on Cas's skin, but Cas didn't seem to notice.

"What the hell happened, Cas?" Dean asked. Cas looked at the floor.

"I made... a grave error," Cas said.

"Yeah. Cas, did you - please tell me this didn't happen to you because of me."

"What I did, I did of my own free will."

"Oh, Cas," Dean said. "I'm so sorry."

"This is not your fault, Dean," Cas said, a little of his usual strength back in his voice. Dean smiled a little, but ducked his head to hide it. "Dean, there's something else," Cas went on. "Crowley knows I've Fallen. He... found me. He is here, in Hell."

"Yeah, I figured from the Hellhounds," Dean said. "Is he the one who did this to you, too?" he asked, fingers ghosting over the bruises mottling Cas's chest.

"Yes, and when I say he is in Hell, I mean I know exactly where."

"What?" Dean rose to his feet. "Where?"

"Beyond the edge of the woods, in the heart of the fire that stains Hell's sky, there is... a house," Cas said, unsure of how to broach the subject of what exactly this house was. But based on the way Dean's face darkened, Cas guessed he probably already knew all about what was at the heart of that fire. "Crowley has taken up residence there."

"That _bastard_ ," Dean seethed. "Death's too good for him. Maybe I'll throw _him_ in the damn Cage."

"Dean, attacking Crowley in that location will be particularly difficult for you."

"I don't care," Dean said, but it was a lie. He hated that place. He hated going _near_ that place. It made him feel weak.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door and Dean yanked it open far more forcefully than necessary. A startled Ravi looked up at him, hand still raised from knocking.

"What part of _get the fuck out_ did you miss, Ravi?" Dean growled.

"Sorry! It's just - you also said to let you know no matter what if the squad you've got shadowing Sam Winchester turned up anything and, well, they have. Crowley's up there, sir."

Dean's glare turned to a smile. "Well. I'd better go pay my respects then, hadn't I." He looked back over his shoulder at Cas. "Stay here and heal up, Cas. No one will bother you."

"Dean, wait, take me--"

But Dean slipped through the door and closed it behind him, cutting Cas off. "Anyone bothers him, I will kill them slowly and creatively, got it?" he growled at Ravi, who nodded hurriedly. "Good. Be right back." And he vanished.

 

*

 

It was the wee hours of the morning, but whatever had been in that coffee Dean had brought him had worked wonders because Sam was wide awake. He figured it was probably best to give his plan a shot at a time like this, anyway, when few people would be around. He looked around the motel room at his wide array of weapons for dealing with various denizens of the night - shotguns, salt, iron and silver, dead man's blood, holy water, bladed weapons of various sorts - then picked up only Ruby's knife and a bag containing what he needed for a summoning and left everything else where it was.

Outside, he considered that the Impala in and of itself could be construed as a weapon and passed by it, opting instead to walk to a nearby park.

He was going to try to summon Crowley one last time, this time leaving himself completely vulnerable (except, of course, for the knife - he wasn't stupid) and setting no traps in the hopes that Crowley would be lured out. He wasn't really expecting it to work, but the only other thing he could think of would be threatening Crowley's son, and he didn't really want to do that. First of all, he'd be hard to find, and secondly, the kid was harmless and human. Thirdly, and most importantly, Sam wasn't entirely certain Crowley even cared enough anymore to come to Gavin's rescue. Still, it could be worth a try - especially since one of the items on Sam's to-do list was to return the kid to his own time (slightly lower in priority than 'take over Hell', but still on there).

Really, though, it would just be simpler if this worked. Sam set up the ritual in a picnic pavilion, dimly lit by a distant streetlight. He cleared his mind and started reciting the incantation, readying a match, when he was interrupted.

"Oh, don't bother," Crowley said. Sam dropped the match, startled, and the bowl of herbs burned anyway. Crowley rolled his eyes. "Ok, poof, I'm here, you summoned me. Nice work."

Sam was literally at a loss for words. Crowley had turned up completely alone, without even needing to be summoned. This was really one of the last things Sam had expected. He settled on a simple "Why?"

"Because I'm _scared_ , Moose," Crowley said, his voice full of scorn - for himself. "Your brother is turning out to be a far more competent villain than I ever suspected, and I want him stopped. You and I should actually be on the same side here."

"Yeah, ok, I've heard that one before, Crowley."

"Castiel has _Fallen_ , Sam. He's in Hell. I managed to talk to him a little before Dean scooped him up, and he said that he Fell because of something to do with grace - he poked something he shouldn't have in Heaven, and I'd bet my throne - if I still had it - that Dean talked him into it."

"What?" Sam gave Crowley a disbelieving look. He looked raw - rumpled. When Crowley stopped caring about how he looked, you knew something was up. The guy was either a brilliant actor or he believed everything he was saying. And if he hadn't been speaking with Cas, how would he know that Cas had been thinking about going after a source of grace in Heaven? "So, Cas is in Hell? What about Kevin?"

"Yes, but you're missing the important bit, _Sammy_. Cas and Kevin are in Hell because _that's where Dean wants them._ "

"That's - wait. What--" There were six figures running across the park toward them. Sam had been engrossed in his conversation with Crowley and hadn't seen them approach, but now they were almost upon them. Sam could see their black eyes and he pulled out the knife. "Yours?" he demanded of Crowley.

"Certainly not. I don't _have_ any demons left - you and your brother have seen to that."

And then the demons were there and there was no more time for talking. Sam wasn't sure if the demons were coming for Crowley or him, but he didn't wait to find out, stepping forward and engaging the first of them. Most of the others ran for Crowley, but at least one tried to pull Sam off the demon he was fighting. Sam elbowed it in the face, stabbed the demon he was working on, then whirled to take care of the one behind him.

Several sharp reports told him that Crowley had brought a gun, and based on the demons immobile on the ground, he'd say it was a gun loaded with devil's trap rounds. Crowley had, of course, shot three of the demons in the head so that they couldn't speak and so that the hosts would only die if Sam exorcised them. Sam glared at him while he finished off the last one standing, then cleaned up Crowley's mess with the knife.

"See," Crowley said. "We work so well together."

Sam didn't answer. At some point Crowley had been injured in the fight - just a slight cut on his cheek. It was bleeding. He looked down at the knife in his hand, also wet with blood, and found he was having trouble blinking. Crowley followed his gaze and his eyes narrowed.

"Hello? Ground control to moose?" Crowley snapped his fingers under Sam's nose, and he looked up, startled.

"Get away from my brother, asshole," Dean said, appearing directly behind Crowley. He raised the First Blade and stabbed - empty air. Crowley had teleported away.

"GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!" Dean yelled. "Why is that fucker so hard to kill?!"

Sam blinked rapidly, then shook himself. "Dean," he said. "What the hell is this?" He gestured to the corpses of six demons.

"Oh, them," Dean said, slightly sheepish. "I might have... set a guard detail on you."

"With what, orders to attack Crowley on sight? He showed up _willing to talk_ , Dean!"

"So they got a little enthusiastic. Maybe they saw you summoning a demon with absolutely no protections whatsoever and thought they should step in."

"I had it under control," Sam said through gritted teeth. "And since when do I need a bunch of demon bodyguards, Dean? Are we seriously back to you thinking I can't take care of myself?"

"All right, all right! I'm sorry, I won't do it again. But hey, we've got Crowley on the ropes. I found out where he's been holing up, so he can't go back there now."

"Great," Sam said, making a conscious decision to calm down. "How'd you find him?"

Dean shrugged. "I've got all the demons in the pit scouring the place, one of them was bound to come across him eventually."

"I guess. Hopefully he doesn't just - whoa. Your hands," Sam said, stopping midsentence. Dean's hands were completely coated in red. Dean looked down at them in surprise.

"Oh. Huh. Yeah - just, a little internal business. Demons, you know. Hard to work with," Dean said, examining his hands. They really were a mess - the blood was mostly tacky by now and had gathered in the creases of his skin. "I sort of dropped everything when I heard Crowley was up here."

"Well. Thanks for that," Sam said carefully, eyeing Dean's hands. "Hey, did you ever hear from Cas?"

"No. I think he must still be in Heaven."

"Right. Well, you want me to give you a call if I see him?"

"Do that. I'm gonna head back downstairs and make sure Crowley hasn't turned up there."

Sam nodded and Dean disappeared. Sam began gathering up his materials with more deliberation than he normally showed because his mind was whirring away with other thoughts. Foremost among these was how he knew with terrifying certainty that whatever had been on Dean's hands had definitely not been _demon_ blood.

 

* * *

END NOTES:

I'm not using Archive's built-in notes because I want to show you guys a picture.

 

When reading this series, my beta [DragonSorceress22](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSorceress22/works) decided to keep track of how much time Cas spent clothed and otherwise. Here is the result of her data (presented as a pie chart so Dean would appreciate it doubly), in which we can see that the more I wrote, the less self-control I exhibited...

However, I would like to point out that so far, I've managed to keep Cas' pants on more than the writers have as far as Season 10 is concerned :)

 

(Note on the data: Percentages derived solely from how much 'on screen' time Cas has in the fic (and yes, DragonSorceress has read the whole thing, so future chapters are included in this data set). I have a different data set that recalculates percentages relative to the fic as a whole, but since Cas spends less than 60% of this fic on-page, those numbers are much less illuminating.)


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 

Castiel did not remain in the room where Dean had left him for very long. At first frustrated that Dean had simply _left_ him here, as though he were useless, he eventually came to the grudging conclusion that he _was_ , in fact, useless. The realization was compounded by the fact that the door out of the room actually gave his burned hands a little trouble. But it only made him more determined to do something other than sit there.

As a mental exercise, he took the time to think up some pants for himself before leaving - safe he might be, but there was little sense wandering around Hell naked.

He left the room and found himself in a larger room that _felt_ just like Bobby Singer's place had before it was destroyed. This place was larger, but had the same dark furniture and scattering of books and occult paraphernalia.

It also had two demons lounging on the couch, watching him. One was male, the other female, both in the guise of young, attractive, Indian humans. He stared at them for a few moments, and they stared back, until Cas realized that they were probably here as guards and continued his exploration, ignoring them.

If this place was based on Bobby Singer's house, then... what was in the basement? Cas headed toward where the stairs would have been in the real thing and was pleased to find an unlocked door there, with a steep flight of stairs heading down.

He was halfway down the stairs when he heard a voice, female and British, say "Wait."

Castiel paused, scanning what he could see of the basement until his eyes landed on the speaker. She hadn't been talking to him, but to -

"Kevin Tran," Castiel said, surprised.

"It's ok, Kevin, I see him too. He's real," the woman said. A knife that had been hovering at Kevin's ear, pointed directly at the stairs, fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Castiel," Kevin said. "Are you... here to save us?" From the tone of his voice, Kevin really wanted to believe this was the case, but doubted it.

"Save you? What are you doing here? We've been searching for you," Castiel said.

"Well I've been right here," Kevin said, gesturing to the room at large. "Dean found me ages ago. He won't let me go back to Earth, though."

Cas suddenly felt cold fingers touch his back and he whirled. The woman who had spoken to Kevin earlier was standing there, and held up her hands. "Sorry," she said. "You have very beautiful wings." Cas gave her a stricken look and turned away.

"That's Bela," Kevin said. "She's - sorry Bela - kind of unbalanced."

"No, that's fair," Bela said, eyes traveling slowly up the wall and across the ceiling, watching something they couldn't see. She plucked a few grains of salt out of a bag she kept at her side and scattered them in front of her like corn for chickens.

"And Dean is... keeping you both here?"

"He says it's too dangerous anywhere else. Apparently Crowley's on the loose and gunning for us, or something. But Cas, what are you doing here?"

"I... Fell." It was still hard to say.

"What, with a capital F? All the way to Hell?" Kevin whistled. "That's... uh, that's not easy to do Cas. I know, I read the angel tablet. Pretty much the only thing that could land you down here would be trying to mess with the power of creation."

Cas stared steadily at Kevin, who dropped his face into his palm. "Oh, Cas..."

"I didn't know this would happen," Castiel said. "I was trying to find a way to... to restore Dean."

"Well, good effort," Kevin said, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "Now you're stuck down here with the rest of us. You, me, Bela, Dean. It's getting to be a... regular... reunion..." Kevin trailed off, having a sudden disturbing thought.

"You'll be different, though," Bela said, drawing Cas's attention away from Kevin. "Like the Morning Star. He Fell. You'll rise like him."

Cas winced. "I don't have any powers, let alone power like Lucifer," he said.

"You could, though," Kevin said, suddenly focused again. "Eventually you could control as much of Hell as Lucifer does - from the ninth circle all the way out here. Dean's influence only extends from here to the fifth. But you, another Fallen angel, powerful... you could do it."

"Maybe I could," Cas said. "But look at what happened to Lucifer."

"Who's going to craft a Cage to hold you, Cas? God's gone missing. Let's make with the Jedi academy and get you powered up! Once you know how to use Hell, you can get us out of here yourself."

"Me? Kevin, Dean is on his way to confront Crowley right now. When he returns, he will transport you to Earth himself, if that is what you wish."

Kevin gave Cas a look, shook his head, and turned away. "Yeah. Sure, Cas. Sure he will."

 

*

 

This time, Dean brought a chain ladder with him when he visited the Cage. It was still a really long walk, but at least he wouldn't have to scale a wall with frozen fingers at the end of it. He saluted the giant guarding the pit (who ignored him), anchored the ladder to the ice, then clambered down until he was dangling comfortably just above the flames.

This time Adam was standing, waiting for him. Dean waited for him to speak to see who was in charge today.

"You know, this is the first time anyone's brought an actual _ladder_ to Hell to come visit me," Lucifer said. "Usually it's just a lot of swoop in, grab a soul, swoop out. This is a much more practical approach."

"Uh huh. Skip the small talk. I want Adam."

"What, this old thing?" Lucifer asked, gesturing down at Adam's body. He shook his head. "Dean, as much as I'd love to give you everything you want, there isn't a whole lot of Adam _left_. Besides, why in the world would I give up my only plaything?"

"All right. What do you want for him?"

"Oh, interesting. Are you proposing a trade?"

Adam's eyes flashed. "Say yes to me and I will pluck your half-brother from this Hell and restore him!"

"Jesus, Michael, calm down," Dean said. "One-track mind much? I'm not fucking saying yes to you, get over it."

Adam's eyes flashed again. "Sorry about that. Temporary loss of control. He just gets so excited when he sees you, Dean," Lucifer said.

"What can I say, I have that effect on people," Dean said. "Now what's it gonna take for you to give up Adam?"

"Well you could always just free me from this Cage." Adam's teeth gleamed in the firelight. "I'd be willing - and able - to give you just about anything you wanted if you did that."

Dean snorted. "Please, I just got this job as King of Hell. I'm not about to throw it away. Try again."

"How about trading yourself for him, then?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you got the wrong brother there, Luci. Try again, seriously this time."

Lucifer was quiet for a few moments, considering. Then, "Bring me the first runner up from last year's ASP World Junior Tour," he said.

"What?"

Adam's eyes flashed. "Do _not_ \--" Another flash. "Shut _up_ Michael, I'll ask him if I want to--" Flash. "--do not know what would--" Flash. "Oh yes I can!"

Dean waited a few moments, but Lucifer seemed to be in complete control again. He smiled brightly up at Dean through the flaming bars of his Cage. "Anyway. You heard me. Bring me the kid who got second place in last year's ASP World Junior Tour, and you can have Adam. I'll kick Michael out - been stronger than him for years - and you'll get your long-suffering half-brother back. Do we have a deal?"

Dean hesitated. Of all the things he'd thought Lucifer might ask for, some random kid athlete hadn't been anywhere near the list.

"I would also accept, you know, _Sam_ , if bringing some stranger down here pings your conscience too much," Lucifer suggested sweetly. Dean scowled.

"Fine. I'll find your random kid. Just be ready to get Michael out." Dean began climbing back up the ladder. Was it fair to prioritize Adam over some stranger? Dean glanced over his shoulder, back down into the Cage. Adam's face was again contorted in huddled misery as whatever torments Michael and Lucifer were inflicting on his mind continued. Maybe it wasn't fair, but neither was this. Adam was family. It was Dean's job to protect his family. He'd do it, whatever it took.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, did you think I FORGOT about ADAM? What a ridiculous thought. Who would just FORGET a blood relation of the Winchesters like that? Gosh.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter goes out to all of you who thought it was pretty cold of Dean to just ignore Adam at the end of Chapter 11 of To Reign in Hell. He was just biding his time, getting his ducks in a row ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 

Dean returned to his base of operations after thawing out a bit and cleaning up from his trek across Hell. No one needed to know where he'd been this time. He'd had to pass the perpetual fire blazing in the fifth circle, too, and had stopped to make sure Crowley wasn't still squatting in... that place. It had made him incredibly ill-tempered. That place unsettled him like nothing else did, and he could still hear the echoes of his father shouting at him now.

Dean shuddered, then shook it off and went inside the replica of Bobby's house. He was surprised to find it still mostly deserted, with only Ravi and Leela standing guard. He must be more intimidating than he thought.

He nodded to them and crossed the room to the bedroom where he’d left Cas. But it was empty. He turned back to Ravi and Leela. "Where'd my fallen angel go?" he asked, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the empty room.

"He went into the basement a while ago, boss. Hasn't come back out yet," Leela said. Dean bit back a curse.

"And you didn't think to stop him?" he asked, maintaining his patience with an effort. All of his demons knew that the basement was his, and his only.

"You said not to bother him, sir," Ravi said. "We figured, he's yours, the basement's yours... so why not."

Dean sighed and shook his head. "All right. Let me go deal with this. You can tell everyone else it's safe to come out now, I won't stab anyone."

"You got it boss. Hey, did you get Crowley?" Leela asked. Dean scowled.

"Not yet," he said. "Which reminds me - Ravi, I need a new group trained for Sam duty. Make sure they're actually trained _well_ this time, I don't need Sam taking out any more of you guys."

Ravi saluted and scampered off to fulfill the command.

Dean headed for the stairs and descended cautiously, well aware of Kevin's habit of flinging knives at anyone who went into the basement. But no flying cutlery greeted him as he went down.

"Cas?" he called.

"In here, Dean." Cas's voice floated out of what would have been the panic room in Bobby's house. It looked very similar in this replica but, being in Hell, was not actually functional as a saferoom.

Kevin was curled up in a corner, with Cas kneeling in front of him wearing nothing but a battered old pair of jeans. Bela was sitting cross-legged on a cot off to the side, slowly stroking Kevin's ring and whispering to it.

Kevin seemed to be having a particularly bad episode, flickering in and out of existence.

"Crap," Dean said. "Hey, Bela, give him those numbers that worked last time."

Bela cocked her head at him, eyes wide and distant. "Numbers?"

"Oh, great."

"Completing number patterns helps him?" Cas asked.

"Yeah, last time Bela gave him some pattern to complete and he snapped out of it. But I don't know what it was."

"Then we can always try another one," Cas said. He turned back to Kevin. "Kevin, complete this sequence: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21."

Kevin shuddered. "28," he murmured. "36. 45. 55. 66. Basic triangle sequence, this isn't even hard," he muttered to his knees.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief. "He's going to be fine. Now Cas, what are you - are those my jeans?"

Cas looked down at himself. "They are more likely a _memory_ of your jeans," he said.

Dean stared at him. Cas stared back, head tipped slightly to the side.

"...whatever," Dean said finally. "What are you doing down here, Cas? You're supposed to be resting. You're gonna tear your stitches."

Cas rose to his feet smoothly, as though to impress upon Dean how much better he was already. "I couldn't just _sit_ there, Dean. And anyway, why didn't you tell me Kevin was here? For that matter, why haven't you told _Sam_? We've been searching for him," Cas said reproachfully.

"He hasn't been here that long," Dean said. "I didn't want to worry you. You can see he's a little... upset. You didn't need that dropped on you while you're recovering. Sam doesn't need it right now, either."

"Oh, give me a break," Kevin said, floating to his feet. "I can't listen to this." He floated out of the room. Bela wandered after him.

"See?" Dean said when they were out of the room. "He's not quite right."

"Hell is only going to make him _worse_ , Dean."

"I'm working on it. But at least here I can guarantee that he's relatively safe. With Crowley still running around topside, anything could happen to him. Hell, it already did."

Castiel nodded slowly, though he wasn't quite convinced.

"Hey," Dean said, crossing the room and snagging one of Castiel's belt loops to pull him forward. "Now that you're here, with me, maybe we can figure - oh, wait, what'd I say?"

Castiel had looked down and stepped away, removing Dean's hand from the belt loop. He turned from Dean and crossed his arms, hunching in on himself.

"Don't, you'll pull the stitches," Dean said automatically, stepping closer. Castiel dropped his arms and looked up at Dean with despairing eyes.

"I just... I am having trouble adjusting to this situation," Cas said. "The 'now that I'm here' part. It just struck me that... I'm here now. Fallen. Forever."

"Cas," Dean said. The urge to take him in his arms was nearly overwhelming, but there was almost nowhere he could touch Castiel without aggravating one of his injuries. 

"What will happen to the Host? Without me, they may well fall back into factions, begin bickering amongst themselves. Metatron could even make a play for power - he's very persuasive. I fear I've let them all down... possibly Earth as well..."

"Cas, stop it," Dean said. For lack of anywhere else to touch, he took Cas's face between his hands, threading his fingers into Cas's hair. "What happened, happened. You think I haven't played back everything that lead me right to this spot a million times? Thought of all the things I could have done differently? Don't do that to yourself, Cas. We can work with this. We can get a message to the Host, we can work on your powers. I mean, look at Lucifer--"

That was the wrong thing to say. Cas brushed Dean's hands away. "I am not my brother," he said firmly. "But... you're right. We _can_ figure this out. The first step is to fill Sam in. You can carry both me and Kevin to the bunker - we'll be safe there, and out of your way."

"You're not _in_ my way--"

"Dean. This place is wearing on me. I do not have the power my brother had when he Fell. It's even worse for Kevin. Bela is just a soul, and a damned one at that, so if you take her to Earth she will simply return here. But Kevin and I - we'll be able to help you more on Earth." 

"Ok," Dean said. "All right. Good points. I'll take you guys back upstairs. But not right now - Sam's out on a hunt. I want him in the bunker with you, to guarantee you're safe. I'll go topside right now and ask him to head back, and then I'll come get you guys. All right?"

Cas nodded, clearly relieved. "Thank you, Dean."

Dean grinned. "Hey, I'd do anything for you," he said, reaching out to slide one hand through Cas's hair. He left that hand cradling Cas's head and bent to kiss him, trying to be delicate, to resist the urge to simply devour the vulnerable angel in front of him. Cas breathed a little sigh of contentment against his mouth and stepped closer. Dean rested his other hand on Cas's hip, thumb sliding over the subtle jut of bone there, and Cas gasped as he grazed one of the many cuts still decorating his body.

Dean stepped back immediately. He knew his eyes had gone black with lust, and Cas standing there flushed and breathless and looking a little lost from the sudden absence of Dean's warmth wasn't helping matters in the least.

"I'm fine," Cas said, glancing down at the cut Dean had inadvertently brushed against.

"I know," Dean said, but he didn't move closer. "I'll be back. Soon." And he vanished.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should just rename this series "Dean tells all the lies" parts 1-3.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 

Sam was in the bunker, putting together another summoning ritual. The more he thought about his last encounter with Dean and Crowley, the more concerned he became. That had been just yesterday, and Sam had driven nonstop to return to the bunker immediately afterward. He was relatively certain Crowley would now respond to his summons, and he wanted to do it in a safe space - for both of them.

He spoke the chant and dropped the match into the bowlful of herbs. Just as the flames flared up, a loud knock sounded on the bunker's door. Sam glanced up at it in surprise. Crowley shouldn't be blocked from getting in if he were summoned...

Perplexed, Sam vaulted up the stairs and dragged the door open.

"Oh good, you're home!" Krissy said, pushing past him to come inside.

"Krissy?"

"Sorry to just barge in like this. Feel free to, you know, holy water me and whatever, I just... I really need to talk to someone, Sam, and you're the only friend I've got left, so, sorry, you get to deal with me right now." She led the way down the stairs, Sam trailing behind her and therefore getting an excellent view of a ferret as it poked its head out of her backpack and climbed onto her shoulder. Sam remembered it from their cockatrice hunt in Oregon - Solomon, she'd called him.

"Krissy, now isn't really - wait. Did something happen to Josephine and Aidan?"

Krissy bit down on her lower lip and drew in a deep breath. Sam was alarmed to see a couple of tears squeeze out of her eyes. She smeared them away angrily with the back of her hand while the ferret chattered at Sam accusingly. " _Yeah_ something happened to them," Krissy said. " _Each other_. Jo fucking _dumped_ me for him. I mean she said she was ok with the whole ace thing, but apparently not, apparently a girl has 'needs,' and then she said she'd be ok giving the whole polyamory thing a whirl, and of course Aidan was all over that, but I'm not really into that and she just..." Krissy stopped abruptly and glanced around, noticing the ritual set up and the bowl of herbs that had just finished burning. "Uh. Is this a bad time?"

"I was just about to ask the same thing myself," Crowley said, appearing in front of Krissy. Sam grabbed her shoulder - the ferret-less one - and shoved her behind him, putting himself between girl and demon. "Oh, is that a baby moose? I didn't know they came that small," Crowley said, leaning to get a look around Sam. Krissy dropped her bag and fumbled an angel blade out of it, holding it in front of herself defensively while Solomon hissed his disapproval.

"Krissy, go to my room and lock the door," Sam ordered.

Krissy began edging toward the hall, not taking her eyes off Crowley.

"What, I don't get to meet the company?" He turned toward Krissy, who had almost made it to the hall. "I don't bite, love."

Then suddenly there was a table between them. The big, heavy library table still covered in the components of the summoning ritual. It scraped across the floor without anyone touching it and inserted itself neatly between Krissy and Crowley, who both froze, then looked to Sam simultaneously.

Sam blinked. "Huh. I, uh... I didn't mean to do that."

"Krissy, go to Sam's room and lock the door," Crowley said. Krissy took off, more alarmed by this than by a demon appearing in front of her, and Crowley turned to Sam.

"I _knew_ it! You're hooked on demon blood again!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Sam.

"I'm not! I would never... I have no idea how that happened!" he protested, gesturing at the displaced table.

"Ah." Crowley swept past a bewildered Sam down the hall and into the kitchen. "I was afraid of this." Suddenly Sam heard a frighteningly familiar growling. Crowley had summoned a Hellhound. Sam pulled out Ruby's knife and backed away. "Oh relax, she's just here to do a little tracking," Crowley said. He was throwing open cupboards and pulling things out - ground coffee, drinking glasses, even a few cups from the trash - and offering them to the empty air in front of him, which growled every time.

"Just as I suspected," Crowley said. He snapped his fingers and a sight disturbance in the air and sudden lack of ominous breathing told Sam the Hellhound had been dismissed. "Everything here is laced with demon blood."

" _What_? No way, not possible."

"Ah, yes, you're right, for that to be true you would've had to give a demon full run of your little hidey-hole... oh wait, _you did_."

Sam thought back to all of the drinks Dean had been handing him over the past couple of weeks - months? - and paled. "He's been dosing me..." Sam turned on his heel and headed back to the library, distracted enough not to give much concern to the fact that he’d just turned his back on a demon.

"And finally the penny drops. _Now_ will you believe me when I tell you your brother needs to be stopped?" Crowley said, following Sam at a more leisurely pace.

"I need to get Dean here right now," Sam said, striding toward the displaced table. The ritual was still set up, it just needed fresh components.

"No, see, that's the opposite of a good plan," Crowley said, rushing across the room to put himself between Sam and the table.

"Out of my way, Crowley."

Crowley, remembering that Sam could possibly exorcise him using only his mind now depending on how long Dean had been drugging him, slid out of the way with his hands up. "Just stop for a second. You really think if you drag your brother over here and flat out ask him about this, he's going to tell the truth? Dean's been playing the entire Scooby gang, including yours truly, from minute one. He's just going to lie again."

Sam stopped sorting the materials and looked suspiciously at Crowley. "Or he'd tell the truth and you'd just _say_ he's lying," Sam said, pausing as he reached for the wormwood and picking up Ruby’s knife instead. "How do I know _you_ aren't the one responsible for this?"

Crowley pressed his hands to his chest with a hurt look. "I? When could I possibly have done anything like this?"

"I don't know, Crowley. You're full of tricks. Like slipping out of the dungeon despite being chained and surrounded by devil's traps," Sam said, advancing on him with the knife. Crowley backed up, looking decidedly nervous now.

"I had help with that, you know. Your friend Tevye is playing his own game."

"Bullshit. There's no way he could have gotten past the wards, especially without us noticing."

"Oh yes? And up until he ran into Dean you would have said there was no way Dean could cross the wards either. There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Sam... and in Hell too, it would appear." Crowley bumped up against a bookshelf, out of space to retreat.

"If that's the case then you _could_ have somehow been drugging me without my realizing it," Sam pointed out. He grabbed the lapel of Crowley's coat and raised the knife.

"You're not thinking clearly," Crowley said, eyes fixed on the knife. "What would I gain from giving you bloody superpowers? You're a big enough pain in my arse as it is. And if you don't get your hands off this suit, I will summon a Hellhound to eat you, which would solve _so many_ of my problems."

That gave Sam pause. "So... why don't you?"

"Because I _need_ you. I'm pretty sure you're the only thing left in Heaven, Hell, or Earth that can take out your brother - and I need you sober to do it. Look at you, you're like Hemingway trying to have a civil conversation with F. Scott Fitzgerald. It's only a matter of time until you explode."

Sam took a deep breath and stepped back. "Ok," he said. "So if you wanted me hopped up on demon blood, you wouldn't have told me about it. But if you wanted me crashing and out of commission, you would."

"Again, you doing your best Linda Blair impression does not help me in the slightest."

"Unless you need me out of your way."

"Are you being _deliberately_ dense now? You _were_ out of my way! I could have left you happily guzzling Cabernet Demon while Dean skipped down Boardwalk building hotels, if that's what I wanted. For some reason, though, I got the idea that you were the smart one and might actually do something to save yourself."

"But why would Dean - I mean, I'm not saying I believe you, but what's the endgame here? Where's the advantage?"

"Besides addicts being easier to manipulate?" Crowley said. "He's collecting you, genius. He has Kevin and Cas, and you're probably next. Wouldn't be surprised if the mini Moose is on the list too, the way he rushed off to save her."

"You mean the time you tried to kill her to hurt Dean?" Sam asked, and Crowley realized that it might not have been the wisest thing to bring up. "Pretty sure you lied about that too, before."

"Ah, but not _completely_ sure."

"No. Which is why I'm going to tell you to leave instead of just killing you right here."

"Right. I sense I've overstayed my welcome. I'll just... give you time to detox. Remember, don't leave your drink unattended and don't accept drinks from strange demons. Or the ones you're related to."

"Crowley..."

"Right, right. Leaving." And he did.

Sam sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and started shoving the table back where it belonged (the old fashioned way, _not_ with any sort of demonic powers). When he finished, he looked up to find Krissy leaning against the wall watching him. Solomon wasn't with her.

"So," she said. "Demon blood."

"You were listening?"

"Of course."

"It's... kind of a long story," Sam said, wondering where to even begin.

"Oh no, it's cool. I read the _Supernatural_ books."

"Oh God..."

Krissy grinned. "Yeah, they're pretty terrible. Did you know they're making a TV show?"

Sam massaged his forehead, experiencing painful flashbacks to a certain confrontation involving Balthazar and Virgil, the weapons-keeper of Heaven. "There already is one. It's in an alternate universe. Don't ask."

"I want you to take it as a sign of my affection for you that I am resisting the urge to ask at this very moment. Because I really, really want to. But the point is, I know what's up. How long before you start seeing things and getting stuck to walls?"

"I don't know." Sam dropped into a chair, suddenly exhausted. "It depends how much I've been... getting. It can't have been that much though, or I would have noticed. Maybe it won't be so bad this time."

Krissy raised her eyebrows and Sam smiled mirthlessly. "Ok, yeah, it's going to be horrible," he said.

"Ok, well... what do you want me to do?"

"There isn't much you _can_ do. But I want you to stay here. If Crowley's right and Dean's gone darkside, this is the safest place for you. When it gets bad for me, we can just lock me in the dungeon or something. The wards will keep you safe while I'm out of commission."

"Except from Dean."

"I can show you how to trap him. I'm really sorry, Krissy. I never wanted you to be caught up in the kind of crap that happens to me and Dean."

Krissy shrugged. "Hunting life, Sam. It happens. Now let's go stock up on bottled water and then you can teach me how to trap a Dean."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go on. Go back and count the number of times Dean interacted with Sam's beverages in any way. You'll have to start in To Reign in Hell. That's how long he's been dosing Sam, just a few drops at a time, as well as lacing the food Sam keeps in the bunker plus any interactions they've had off-page...
> 
> Also, yeah, Krissy kept the ferret. If you're interested in more details about her life when she's not on-page here, you can check out her blog, [hunter-slash-pediatrician.tumblr.com/](http://hunter-slash-pediatrician.tumblr.com/) (why yes, yes it IS the same one she texted Sam about back in To Reign in Hell. And yes, yes it HAS been updating since then!). Older posts are at the bottom. Posts sometimes intersect with the different parts of this fic, but you don't have to read the blog to enjoy the fic :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Dean was sitting on a curb in California considering his options. He'd been bouncing around the globe trying to locate Turner Cameron, the most elusive 16-year-old surfer on the planet. This kid had been the runner up in the ASP World Junior Tour last year, but apparently he'd come out of nowhere to do that and then vanished into nowhere afterwards. He wasn't even competing this year and a quick web search of his name turned up mostly young women, while the person who had entered last year's tournament had definitely presented as male.

Finding this kid and getting Adam out of the Cage was something of a long game, though. The more immediate concern was accelerating his plans for Sam. Cas was much more in control of himself than Dean had anticipated, and his determination to leave Hell was going to get hard to ignore before too long. Really, he needed to delegate this search for Turner and head back to the bunker - but the one person who would be capable of finding the kid with such little information, and could be trusted to do it discreetly, was currently partying in another dimension.

Well, he'd have to get her back eventually, too. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

Decision made, Dean dug some chalk out of his pocket, drew the appropriate symbols right there on the pavement in broad daylight, teleported away and back in the space of two seconds to grab some ingredients and a bowl to burn them in, and summoned Tevye.

The scholar demon appeared promptly, wearing the same guise that Dean had last seen him in.

"King Dean, first of his name. How goes ruling Hell?" he asked.

"Can't complain," Dean said. "Crowley's still running around out there, though I'm pretty sure he's just down to himself and a couple of Hellhounds. But you'll probably still want to watch your back."

"I always do. So what brings me to this... random parking lot?" he asked, looking around in mild distaste. If any of the random passers-by had noticed him appear out of thin air, it didn't seem to concern them too much. But then, that was California.

"Got a question for you, the kind you like."

"Do tell."

"So Hell, Earth, Heaven - all different dimensions, right?"

"Slightly different. Very close to each other, and therefore very intertwined. Hell and Earth moreso than Heaven."

"Ok, sure. So I can pop back and forth between Hell and Earth pretty easily..."

"If you're about to ask me how you can invade Heaven, I'm afraid you're not going to like the answer."

Dean raised an eyebrow at Tevye. "That's actually _not_ what I was gonna ask, but now I wanna know."

"The only way for a demon to get to Heaven is with the help of an archangel. That's how much power would be needed to pull something damned into Heaven."

Dean thought of Michael and scowled. "Good thing I don't want to do that, then. Heaven's a mess. Especially with Cas gone. I don't need to worry about them."

"Castiel is... gone?" Tevye asked with considerable surprise. "Explain yourself."

"Why, what's it to you?" Dean demanded, crossing his arms and giving Tevye a hard look.

"Just trying to keep track of all the major players," Tevye said smoothly. "If Castiel has been eliminated, I'd like to know."

"Not eliminated. Just not a factor in Heaven anymore. Cas Fell. All the way to Hell."

Tevye blinked, then shook his head. "I've got to hand it to you Dean, when you meddle, you _meddle_. The last angel to fall that far was Lucifer, and look how that turned out. Now you've got another one running around, not even Caged? You're going to trigger another apocalypse."

"Hey, if Cas wants to rise from Hell and take over the world, I'll be one step behind him. And this time there wouldn't be any douchey older brother to try and stop him because, in case you haven't noticed, we're all out of archangels."

"I had noticed that, actually," Tevye said with a slight smile. "Then I guess you have nothing to worry about. What was your actual question, though?"

"Oh yeah. How hard is it to travel between dimensions?"

"Hard. Really hard. Bordering on impossible," Tevye said flatly. "Hell is different. It's designed to be easy to get into, so it's relatively easy to get out, too. Heaven's designed to be hard to get into, so it's hard to escape as well. And those are the closest dimensions to Earth. The further off you get, the harder it is to step through the boundaries. Take Purgatory - it's Earth-adjacent but still nearly impossible to get into or out of without the right circumstances."

"All right, well, I need to talk to someone in Oz."

Tevye's eyebrows shot up. "Then I suggest you start storm chasing, because Oz isn't even _close_."

"So what you're telling me is, you're useless," Dean said. The fact that his hand rested on the hilt of the First Blade was mere convenience. Certainly not a threat. Tevye watched that hand closely nevertheless.

"No, what I'm telling you is that you have unrealistic expectations," he said. "Then again - you did just say you needed to _talk_ to this person?"

Dean nodded.

"Well. In that case... if you happened to know someone with the right knowledge and connections, with some skill at manipulating reality, and enough power - all items that appear on my resume, I might add - you might be able to manage a phone call."

Dean grinned and slung an arm around Tevye's shoulders. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around. Let's do this."

 

*

 

Of all places to establish communication between two dimensions, Dean had not thought a reservoir in the middle of Kansas would be one of them.

"Kansas has always had some kind of connection to Oz," Tevye explained as they made their way through the vast nature preserve to Kirwin Reservoir. Dean had definitely spotted a sign for 'interpretive nature trails' a while back and wondered what, exactly, he was getting into. But Tevye hadn't wanted to appear right on the edge of the lake - something about disrupting the energies. Dean sneezed as one of the protected varieties of long grass let loose a few of its seeds into the breeze. "And this lake is remote and peaceful. The whole place is designed as a safe place for migrating birds, so it's got that 'traveler' vibe to it. We should be able to get a good connection here, especially since you know exactly who you need to contact."

They reached the end of the trail at last, coming right up to the edge of the lake. Tevye knelt by the water and began drawing a complex series of interconnected symbols. Dean watched over his shoulder, but he was drawing half the symbols under the surface of the water itself, so he couldn't get a clear view of everything. Then Tevye pulled out a knife, sliced a decent-sized cut in the back of his arm, and bled into the lake.

"Ok, line's open," he said, getting to his feet.

"What, no magic words?"

"I'll take care of all that," Tevye said, eyes distant. "Just... talk to the water. And try to focus."

Dean knelt in the muddy sand and stared down at the placid water. "Charlie?" he called, feeling more than a little foolish. "Uh, it's Dean..." He could hear Tevye chanting rhythmically, something that sounded sort of familiar, but it was practically inaudible. Dean focused on the water. "Anyone out there? Kansas calling Oz."

" _Dean_?" Charlie's face suddenly swam into view. And then the view widened to show the room she was standing in - a tower room based on the view, with an enormous four-poster bed in the background. Based on the way a lump of bedding in that bed was swearing at him, and Charlie's bathrobe, he guessed it was early in the morning there.

"Uh, is this a bad time?"

Charlie glanced over her shoulder at the bed. "Oh. Dorothy's not really a morning person. And, they don't really have, you know, coffee here. But we're experimenting with Powder of Life... oh, never mind, not important! How are you? Can I hug you? You're kind of... in a mirror right now so maybe not."

Dean grinned. "It's good to see you Charlie, but I can't talk long," he said, glancing up at Tevye.

"Oh no, by all means," Tevye said, slightly strained. "It's not like I'm holding apart dimensional walls with my bare mind here."

"Right. I need a favor. Can you get back to Earth?"

"Um, yeah, probably. Dorothy, can we get back to Earth?" she called over her shoulder. The mound of blankets let forth what sounded like a string of expletives. "Yeah, shouldn't be a problem," Charlie translated. "Do you need us both though? There's a delegation from the Nome King scheduled for tomorrow, but they really just need Dorothy - I don't need to be there."

"Yeah that's fine. This problem calls for your particular area of expertise. I need to find a guy - name's Turner Cameron, 16, surfer. That's all I know about him, but he's vanished like he had professional help."

"Oh! Computers! It's been so long. It'll feel good to get my fingers back into the Matrix. Um, I need to get back to the point I crossed over, so I'll pop out of the same door in the bunker I left through. Uh. You didn't... blow up the bunker or anything, did you?" she asked, apparently eyeing the blue sky behind Dean.

"No, that'll work out. You got a time estimate?"

"Why, is the world ending like, tomorrow?"

When Dean was silent, Charlie groaned. "Why is your world always ending? Ok, I'll be there. Um... how do you hang this thing up?" she asked, tapping what was presumably the side of the mirror she was speaking through. Dean glanced up at Tevye, who cut off his muttered chant. The image in the surface of the lake faded and Dean stood, scrubbing a foot through the symbols drawn in the sand.

"You know," Tevye said. "Her girlfriend will come after her if she goes missing."

"I can handle Dorothy," Dean said. She wasn't on his list, but he'd take her if the opportunity presented itself. "Right now, I need to make sure Sam's out of the bunker when Charlie gets there. I don't need them comparing notes. Especially since Sam should be just about ready for phase two."

"What's phase two?"

Dean grinned sweetly at Tevye. "None of your business." He pulled out his phone and called Sam. "Hey, Sammy, where are you right now? Bunker? Good. Hey, I might have a lead on Cas out in Massachusetts, you want me to swing by and pick you up? All right, be there in a minute." He hung up. "All right then, Tevye, you go off and do... whatever it is you do. Raid a library or something. I'm gonna go grab my poor sweet innocent brother and drop him in Boston until Charlie shows up."

Dean vanished, but Tevye remained at the lake contemplating for a few moments, making sure he hadn't overlooked anything. Cas and Kevin in Hell, Crowley on the loose and in communication with Sam, Krissy... well Krissy was kind of a question mark, but she'd be fine in the bunker, and the Host... He looked up suddenly. The Host was probably going to do something stupid. He'd have to watch carefully, and be ready to step in.

He glanced one more time at the lake to make sure all the markings were gone and caught a quick glimpse of his true reflection. He gave himself a wink, then turned on his heel and disappeared. He couldn't wait to see how things unfolded at the bunker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dean. Did you just pull apart dimensions because you suck at Googling? Really? What are we going to do with you.
> 
> Also: in case anyone's counting, they're at the [Kirwin Reservoir](http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Kirwin/visit/plan_your_visit.html). Yes, it does have interpretive nature trails. No, I don't know what that means.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 

Cas was pacing and Bela was watching him like a cat, perched on a table in Dean's workshop. Kevin was relieved because while she was distracted by Cas she had finally stopped petting his ring (a behavior that was not particularly harmful, but decidedly unnerving), but he did wish Cas would either calm down or do something productive. Or at least put a shirt on.

"Dean has been gone for too long," Cas fretted. Bela shrugged.

"Or five minutes." She tilted her head, listening to something no one else could hear. "Ah. Sorry. No, you're right, he's definitely been gone longer than he should have been."

"It _is_ hard to tell how time is actually passing here," Kevin allowed. "But Cas, I'm telling you, there's no way Dean's just gonna take us back to Earth. He has some other plan." Kevin had manifested himself on the table next to Bela with his knees drawn up to his chest. He knew he was a ghost, but the position still made him feel better. He'd gone at least an hour without a hallucinatory episode, as well, so that was a bonus.

"He might need help," Cas said. "If he and Sam ran into something they couldn't handle..."

"What could there possibly be out there that they couldn't handle at this point?" Kevin asked.

"Jabberwocky," Bela said seriously. "Not to be underestimated. Also love, and the peculiar feeling you get when you hear a song that used to mean something to you."

Kevin stared at her. Cas increased the pace of his pacing. "There is too much happening here that I do not understand," he said. "I need answers. I need... I need to be able to do something! I used to pull souls from Hell by main force, and now I can't even carry a willing, unrightfully damned spirit," Cas complained, gesturing heatedly at Kevin.

"Or yourself," Bela added helpfully.

"There has to be a way from this place. Sam has walked into and out of Hell carrying a soul, and he is only human."

"That's why he could do it," Kevin said. "That door is just for humans. And it comes out in Purgatory which, again, you can't escape unless you're human. That's a dead end, believe me, I've thought of it."

"Then we need another way."

"I could take you." Crowley stepped out of nowhere into the workshop. Kevin's eyes widened and he flickered out of sight. Bela jumped to her feet and grabbed a knife. Castiel backed away, hand held out to the side, trying to will an angel blade into existence. Crowley surveyed them calmly, hands in his pockets. "Cas. Purple's a good look for you," he said with a nod to the bruises still mottling Castiel's chest and arms. "And Bela. Hm. I guess that explains how Dean found Kevin so easily," Crowley said a little sourly.

"It's a bold fox that walks into the wolf's den," Bela said, narrowing her eyes at Crowley.

"Well I have it on good authority that the wolf is currently in the middle of nowhere making trans-dimensional phone calls. So I'm not too terribly concerned."

"What did you mean, you would take us?" Cas demanded.

"Just what I said. I carry you and the little honor student up to Earth. Deliver you straight to the Moosecave."

Bela stepped between Crowley and Cas. "I won't let you."

Both Cas and Crowley looked at her in surprise. She rolled her eyes.

"I was forgotten in never-ending torment and Dean pulled me out of it," Bela said. "Are you seriously surprised that I'm on his side? If he wants the angel and the ghost down here, I'll keep them down here."

"Bela, we're not--" Cas began, but Crowley held up a hand to stop him.

"Bela. Bela Talbot. A contracted soul, yes? It was Lilith who held your contract?" Crowley asked. Bela eyed him suspiciously, then nodded. "And with her death, it passed to me. I hold your contract now." Crowley's eyes gleamed. "Would you like to renegotiate terms?"

Bela lowered the knife. "I'm listening."

"What I have in mind is simple. You help me - become my right hand - and in exchange you become a demon."

"Why would I want that?" Bela asked.

"Simple. Right now, you're just another tortured soul. Hell can still hurt you. Become a demon, you develop some resistance, along with other perks. And any madness you may or may not be experiencing right now - and I suspect it's somewhat less than you're letting on - will go away too. Call it a bonus."

"You can't just turn her into a demon, Crowley," Cas said.

"On the contrary, my deplumed friend. Dean might be King of Hell, but I'm still King of the Crossroads, and the deal is sacred. The deal can do anything. So what'll it be, Bela? Take it or leave it?"

"Bela, don't--"

"Oh, I will absolutely take it," she said, stepping forward and pressing an aggressive, mouth-crushing kiss on Crowley, who took it rather well. He had, after all, had stranger and more unexpected things happen to him. "What?" Bela said when she looked up to find Castiel's horrified look. "There really was no downside. Eternity as a tormented soul or eternity as a demon? Not really a choice." Her eyes flickered to black and back again and she smiled. "Oh, that's very nice."

"Glad you like it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find you a body to inhabit and let Sam know I've got a surprise for him," Crowley said, and vanished.

"You've traded yourself to a demon twice over," Cas said, disbelieving. He edged closer to the table where Kevin's ring lay.

"Yeah? And you're apparently the worst angel since Lucifer. So get over it," Bela shot back, apparently unconcerned as Cas picked up the ring with a mistrustful look in her direction.

"Children. Let's not fight. My offer to carry you to darling Sammy still stands," Crowley said, reappearing.

"I don't want anything from you," Cas growled.

"That's unfortunate, since I already told Sam I was bringing him incontrovertible proof that his brother's been lying to him," Crowley said. "In fact, I think I hear his summons now, so--" Crowley grabbed Cas by the shoulder and there was a sudden rushing feeling, a great pressure in Cas's head, then darkness.

The workshop was empty.

 

*

 

Sam had just gotten off the phone with Crowley and his promises of proof when Dean called him with his ostensible lead on Cas. At this point, Sam's head was pounding and he was recognizing definite symptoms of withdrawal. He knew how bad he must look based on the concern he could see in Krissy's face. He could feel himself sweating, though he felt cold, and he knew it was only a matter of time before much worse things started happening. So he had told Crowley he would summon him straight to the bunker, past the wards. Because Dean was coming too, and Sam was sick of not knowing who to trust.

He had planned to lock Krissy up in a storeroom somewhere, but she'd objected vehemently to this plan on the grounds that it could leave her trapped and helpless. So he'd led her to the garage instead, where she had already set up an extensive habitat for Solomon, and gave her strict instructions to take a vehicle and make use of the well-fortified tunnel leading out if things seemed like they were going poorly. He then pick-pocketed her lock-picks and locked the door back into the bunker so she wouldn't sneak out to try to help.

And so, paler than Death (who would have resented the comparison) and with dark smudges under his eyes, hands shaking, Sam summoned Crowley. He had just dropped the match when Dean turned up.

"All right Sam, let's - whoa." Dean, of course, knew that Sam had stopped getting a regular dose of blood as soon as he set eyes on him and became immediately suspicious. "You ok, man?"

Sam let out a little breathy laugh. "Not really," he said.

And that was when Crowley appeared, towing Cas and a woman Sam didn't recognize.

There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone noticed everyone else. Then Dean drew the First Blade and lunged for Crowley. The woman stepped in from the side and interrupted his strike, though, throwing an elbow at his face.

"Bela?" Dean asked, and obviously his demon eyes could see something Sam couldn't because this woman was small with light brown skin and a mess of dark curls - nothing like Bela at all - but she winked and her eyes went black and Dean stopped asking questions: she was standing between him and Crowley.

Sam didn't see what happened next, though, because Cas was shoving something into his hands, then turning to join the fight himself, giving a shocked Sam a clear view of his ruined back. The lights flickered as Cas drew angelic power into himself, determined to end this fight quickly - but then the feathered scars on his back flared bright red and he collapsed with a gasp.

"Cas!" Dean threw Bela off of him and into Crowley, turned, practically slid into Cas on his knees, wrapped his arms around him, and vanished.

The whole confrontation had taken less than thirty seconds.

"Now do you see?!" Crowley demanded of Sam.

But Sam wasn't paying attention. The pressure in his head had doubled and blood suddenly trickled from his nose. He dropped what Cas had given him on the table - a ring that looked distantly familiar - and tried to aim for a chair when he fell over, but just ended up on the ground. The lights seemed like they were still flickering, but that didn't make any sense. He must be hallucinating already, and wasn't that just the worst timing, with Crowley standing right there.

But Crowley didn't move. He and Bela exchanged a look, then Crowley said, "No hard feelings, Moose, but we don't much care for the company that's coming," and vanished along with Bela.

Sam rolled onto his back, squinting to center his vision. He thought he could hear some sort of alarm in the distance, but he wasn't sure. Then suddenly he realized what it was and lurched to his feet, stumbling toward the door.

Angels. The bunker was under attack.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter should be called Sam and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 

Sam half ran, half tripped up the stairs. If the bunker truly was under attack by an army of angels and this wasn't all some withdrawal-induced hallucination, running outside in the midst of it probably wasn't the best idea Sam had ever had. But he wasn't thinking clearly, and he was still relatively certain that the angels were on his side. He didn't know what was happening with Cas, but whatever it was that had pissed the angels off, smiting the bunker wasn't going to help anyone.

"Hey!" Sam shouted, essentially falling out of the door to the bunker and into a thunderstorm. "Quit it! There's nothing here!" he yelled to the heavens.

Surprisingly, the rain stopped and an angel appeared in front of him. He had seen her before, but it took his addled brain a moment to come up with her name. Hannah.

"Sam Winchester," she said, some distaste evident. "Of course it's you." Several more angels appeared behind Hannah. All of them looked antagonistic.

"Of course _what_ ' _s_ me?" Sam asked.

"Do not try to fool us! We sensed Lucifer's power upon the Earth mere moments ago. And now we find you, clearly under the sway of your abominable addiction once again." An angel blade slid into Hannah's hand. "Tell me what you have done, and I will end your life swiftly."

Sam raised his hands and backed away, barely managing to keep his feet. "No, it's not me - and there's no Lucifer. Cas was here, just a minute ago--"

"Castiel? You have seen Castiel?" Hannah closed the distance between them and grabbed the collar of Sam's shirt, pulling him toward her. "Where is he?"

"I - I don't know. He passed out and... well, Dean took him. I think he might be in Hell," Sam said.

Hannah studied him closely for a moment, then shoved him away from herself, turning to confer with the other angels who had accompanied her. The shove wasn't particularly hard, but it was enough to send Sam to his knees in the mud. He shook his head to try and clear it, but that only made things worse. He tried to focus on the angels' conversation.

"--could be lying--"

"--a trap?"

"--really _has_ Fallen--"

"--agreed."

Then all of them turned toward Sam with identical expressions that were not even a little bit comforting.

Sam tried to get to his feet, but then Hannah was next to him pressing down on his shoulder and he didn't move.

"Your story bears further investigation. You will come with us, and we will discover the truth."

Two angels grabbed Sam's arms, and before he could protest, they were gone, carrying him with them.

Kevin watched from the door of the bunker, able to go no further with his ring still in the library. At least he was out of Hell - but _now_ what was he going to do?

 

*

 

"Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?" Krissy demanded, holding a gun on the woman who had just walked through the door that was supposed to lead into a tunnel.

Krissy had been sitting bored to tears in the garage, watching Solomon climb up, down, and around the series of interconnected cages she'd set up, when suddenly light had started leaking from the edges of the door to the tunnel. Then the electricity flickered, thunder sounded, and the doors flung themselves open. If Krissy didn't know better, she'd say she saw a gorgeous green landscape and a freaking yellow brick road through the doorframe, instead of the tunnel that was supposed to be there. But she definitely knew better. Right?

"Uh, Charlie," Charlie said, hands up. The doors slammed shut behind her and she jumped a little. "Dean's expecting me?"

"So you're a demon?!"

"What? No! Hey, wait a second, who are _you_ and what are you doing alone in the bunker?" Charlie asked.

"I'm not alone. Sam's out there."

"Well good, stop pointing that gun at me and go get him."

"Yeah, right. Ok, here's what we're gonna do," Krissy said, reaching slowly into her jacket pocket. She'd gone into the garage ready for what could happen if it came down to a full-on demon battle. She pulled out a flask of holy water. "I'm gonna toss this to you. Splash it on your arm, and I'll put down the gun."

She tossed it and Charlie caught it without a word, following Krissy's instructions. When the water did nothing but dampen Charlie's skin, Krissy breathed a little sigh of relief and lowered her weapon. 

"Your turn now," Charlie said, tossing the flask back. Krissy obliged, pouring the water on herself. "Ok, so we're both not demons. What now?"

Krissy glanced back at Solomon, who was not hissing, only watching them both with interest. "Now we go find Sam and he tells me whether you're who you say you are." Krissy pulled her spare lockpicks from her boot (really, Sam must be in worse shape than she thought if he'd forgotten to even look for a second set) and set to work on the door. 

"So, Sam and Dean really never told you about me, huh? Charlie, the girl who went to Oz?"

"And they never mentioned me to you? Krissy, the girl who... um. Well I haven't really done anything yet. Ah, there." She opened the door and gestured for Charlie to go first.

"They tend to be kind of protective," Charlie said, heading out into the hallway. "Hunters get kind of weird about sharing information." 

"Yeah, no kidding," Krissy said. "I mean, just put it on the Internet so you don't have to know a guy who knows a guy to figure out how to take down a rakshasa." 

Charlie grinned. "You are going to be a good influence on those - ack!" Charlie stopped suddenly as Kevin manifested directly in front of her. Krissy had the gun out and up again instantly. 

"That's the wrong kind of gun for a ghost," Kevin said.

"Damn. A ghost who knows his firearms. Wait." She lowered the gun. "Are you Kevin Tran?"

Kevin looked relieved. He'd thought he was going to have to convince them that he was a friendly ghost. "Yes! Sam told you about me?" 

"Maybe," Krissy said, still eying him suspiciously. "Name the strings on a cello." 

"A, D, G, C. Well actually if you're going to get technical I guess it would be A3, D3--" 

"Ok, ok. You're Kevin."

"Sam told you I played the cello?" Kevin asked. "I... didn't know Sam remembered that." 

"Um, excuse me." Charlie raised her hand. "I'm glad that we've confirmed that you're Kevin and all, but... who's Kevin?" 

"Kevin Tran, once a prophet of the lord, currently a kidnapped ghost. Though not anymore, apparently," Krissy explained. "Sam told me about him, and this ghost matches the description, so as far as I'm concerned, he's clear. You, on the other hand, still need verification." 

"That's Charlie," Kevin said.

"That's what I've been saying!" Charlie exclaimed.

"I recognize her from Sam and Dean's descriptions. They said she went to Oz. I guess you're back?" Kevin asked.

"Seems to be the trendy thing to do," Charlie said with a shrug.

"All right, all right. So you can vouch for her, and I can vouch for you. I'd still feel better if we lined you both up in front of Sam," Krissy said. 

"That's the thing," Kevin said. "Sam's gone. A bunch of angels just abducted him."

" _What_?" Krissy said. "Maybe you should have led with that!"

"Angels?" Charlie said, looking from Kevin to Krissy. "Are we seriously _still_ having problems with those guys? What about Castiel? And Dean?" 

"Oh boy are you out of the loop, sister," Krissy said. "Ok, hang on. We need to pool knowledge. We can't help Sam by running off half-cocked. Kevin, you start." 

So Kevin told Charlie and Krissy about being abducted to Hell, with pauses for Charlie's disbelieving interjections regarding Dean's demonic status. He shared his concerns about Dean's plans to bring them all down to Hell, which Krissy supported with her own information about Sam being poisoned with demon blood and Crowley's accusations. Finally, Charlie added her own bit - that Dean had asked her to return and do a bit of cyber sleuthing to find some surfer kid (which none of them had an explanation for) - and then all of them, hunter, ghost, and hacker, were finally up-to-date. 

"All right, so the angels have Sam... somewhere. How do we find him?" Krissy asked. Kevin shrugged and Charlie shook her head.

"If it was just a regular old kidnapping I could go all Person of Interest on their asses, but angels... he could be anywhere." Charlie said. "But, oh, probably still on Earth since they can't just drag a human off to Heaven." 

Kevin nodded. "And he had his phone on him when they took him," he added. "Angels don't really get stuff like that, so they wouldn't turn it off. We could track him that way." 

"Worth a shot," Krissy said. "I think Sam keeps a laptop in his room." 

The odd trio turned up the computer in question fairly quickly and Charlie accessed it in the time it took to blink, despite its being password protected. Krissy thought she caught her rolling her eyes. A short time later, though, they had Sam's location - Esbon, Kansas.

"That's... random," Charlie said.

"They must have a base there," Krissy said. "Wouldn't be surprised if Cas stuck them there to keep an eye on this place, actually. Ok, let's gear up and get moving. That's about a half hour drive, and Sam wasn't in good shape _before_ the angels nabbed him." 

"You're taking me with you, right?" Kevin said. "Every time I get left somewhere, Crowley kidnaps me. You have to take me with you."

"I guess we could do that. Couldn't hurt," Krissy said, looking Kevin up and down. "Where's the ring?"

She and Kevin returned to the library to get the ring - and a chain to put it on since it wouldn't fit either Charlie's or Krissy's fingers - while Charlie started collecting weapons to use against angels. She turned up a couple of angel blades, and took the time to prick her finger and sketch out an angel-banishing sigil on a few pieces of paper that they could carry with them and just activate with a quick drop of blood during a fight. "Kind of like Sailor Mars's _ofuda_!" Charlie said, which earned her a pair of blank stares. Charlie rolled her eyes and said 'Never mind' and Krissy went to make sure Solomon had plenty of food and water while they finished packing a few other items they might need. 

Finally, well prepared, with Kevin's ring dangling on a chain around her neck, Krissy led the way to the Impala.

"You think the boys will mind us taking it?" Charlie asked. Krissy snorted.

"They can object when they're not the ones getting their asses in trouble. This thing's got God-knows-what in the trunk, and you never know what you might need. So we're taking it."

By dint of actually having a corporeal body and having lived on Earth for the past year and a half (and therefore having a valid driver's license), Krissy got to drive. The Impala purred into wakefulness when she turned the key, and the rescue party was off, leaving the bunker's garage echoing with the familiar sound of the engine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I wrote this before Hannah became more of a main character in season 10. I think I did ok with her so far...


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 

Cas woke and knew he was in Hell once again. He was lying on his stomach on the bed in the same room where Dean had treated his wounds after he'd escaped Crowley. The door was open a crack and he could hear Dean's angry voice raised in the outer room.

He sat up slowly, not trusting the lack of pain he was feeling. The last thing he remembered was instinctively attempting to access his angelic abilities - power that once upon a time would have filled the room with the shadow of his wings - and tumbling head-first into the void that yawned in front of him, cutting him off from Heavenly power.

But now he seemed to be fine. There was no pain, and only a slight dizziness. He rose to his feet and padded over to the door, slipping silently out of the room.

Dean was berating two demons, the same two who had been assigned to watch Cas the first time Dean had left him here. The male was on the floor holding one hand to his swollen jaw, while the one wearing the guise of a slender Indian woman was facing off against Dean with clenched fists, eyes blazing while he chewed her out.

"--right under your damn nose!" he was yelling.

"Well excuse us for being fallible!" she shouted back. "Maybe if you're so concerned about him wandering off you should just take another trip out to see Lucifer and drop your crippled pet into the fucking Cage with him! Instead of leaving him someplace you _apparently_ can't secure against one demon who you said _wasn't even a threat_ anymore!"

"That's it, bitch, I'm not--"

"Dean," Cas said quietly. Dean turned, eyes black and face still tense with anger.

"You two get out of my sight," he said to the demons without turning back to them. The woman grabbed the other demon's arm and pulled him with her out of the room, glaring daggers at Dean's back all the while.

"There wasn't anything they could have done," Cas said when they were gone.

"I know that!" Dean snapped. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few moments. When he opened them, they were human-looking again. "I know. I'm just sick of dealing with that bastard. Why'd you go with him, Cas?"

"I didn't have much of a choice, Dean. But he did bring me to Sam, as he said he would. As you said you would." Cas's gaze was steady, unaccusing. Dean could hardly stand it.

"I would have."

"Dean. I think... you might need help."

Dean laughed, short and bitter. "This from the fallen angel."

"At least I know what I am."

"I know what I am too, Cas. You're the one who doesn't seem to get it."

"I have always known what you are, Dean," Cas said, stepping close to Dean, but not touching him. "A righteous man, in impossible circumstances."

Dean stared at Cas in disbelief, one hand drawn toward Cas's face as if by a magnetic force. But Dean stopped just short of brushing Cas's skin with the back of his fingers and let his hand fall with a little shake of his head. "What am I going to do with you, Cas?"

Cas was about to respond when he caught a faint sound just on the edge of hearing. He tilted his head slightly, eyebrows drawing together in concentration.

"Cas?" Dean asked uncertainly. Cas held up his hand for quiet and listened for a few moments longer.

"Someone's... praying," he said. "Charlie? I thought she was..." A fleeting look of guilt crossed Dean's face for the barest instant, but Cas caught it. "Dean, what did you do?"

"Hey, let's focus on the important thing here - why's Charlie praying to you? She in trouble?"

"No..." Cas said. The prayer was faint. "Though she may be soon. She's trying to rescue Sam from... from angels?" Cas was confused, but Dean was already moving.

"Shara! Orion! Get your asses in here!" he bellowed out the door. "Cas, you got any details? Where they are?"

"Esbon, Kansas," Cas said. "I suppose that makes sense, there is an angel base there. But why they would abduct Sam..."

"Could be anything. A trap for me? Or they think he had something to do with your Fall? Who knows," Dean said, though based on the way Sam had looked when he saw him last, he was willing to bet the demon blood had something to do with it. "Damn it."

"They may be looking for me," Cas said. "My Fall was... precipitous. It would have left the Host in a state of upheaval."

"Great," Dean said. "Wonderful."

Shara and Orion - not the same demons Dean had been berating, Cas noted - made a cautious entrance then, but Dean ignored them for the moment.

"All right. Esbon, you said? I'll go meet up with Charlie and rescue Sam's ass. Be back before you know it."

"Don't be foolish, Dean. You're taking me with you."

"Yeah, no. That's a garrison of angels up there. They'll either kill you when they see what's happened to you, or they'll take you away from me. Not happening."

Cas glared at Dean. "You once promised that you'd take me with you into danger. That you'd let me protect you."

"Oh, Cas," Dean said. He pulled Cas into a rough, swift kiss, then shoved the angel, hard, through the door into the bedroom. He slammed the door and locked it with a thought. "Demons lie."

Dean turned to Orion and Shara. "That won't hold him long." As if to prove his point, the door shuddered violently as Cas attacked it. "You two watch him. Eyes and ears on him at all times. Keep him here. Use as many demons as you have to, restrain him if you have to, and if he is gone when I get back there had better be a trail of bodies pointing the way."

Orion and Shara nodded, Orion with a distinct grin on his face. Dean cast one last glance at the door and vanished, heading for Kansas.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This right here is what you might call unhealthy behavior, kids.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 

Sam was strapped to a chair (or at least, he thought he was) and watched over by several angels (probably angels) who, though extremely vigilant, were not actually hurting him (most likely).

Sam was doing a fine job of that all on his own.

The angels had brought him to some sort of empty building currently under construction and had him tied down right in the middle of a huge, empty, high-ceilinged room festooned with builders' tarps and abandoned ladders and liberally painted with wardings - at least, as far as Sam could tell. The withdrawal was pretty bad by this point. In addition to the blinding headache and the shaking and the nausea, he had started to see things. And hear things.

And so he was strapped to a chair while his body convulsed and his eyes rolled around the room chasing specters that appeared and vanished with each heartbeat. And through it all, _his_ voice.

_Didn't you miss me, Sam?_

Sam jerked away from the voice, nearly upending the chair. The angels had gagged him after his last outburst so at least he couldn't answer.

 _I missed_ you _. I should thank that brother of yours. All the upheaval in Hell gave me just the opportunity I needed to slip back up here and come see you._

It wasn't true. Couldn't be true. Somewhere, Sam knew that. But it wasn't enough to override the panic and the evidence of his own ears.

_I need a vessel, though. Are you ready? You need to drink a little more before you can hold me._

And just like that, sheets of blood fell from the ceiling, flooding the room, sweeping away the angels, drenching Sam. He hunched over in the chair as much as he could, trying to avoid it, to not let it get in his mouth, but there was nothing he could do - it was everywhere, and it slid down his throat, hot and sweet and exactly what he _needed_...

And then it was gone and Sam realized he was still gagged and there was no blood and the angels were still watching him impassively.

_If you don't want me, Sam, I'll need to find a temporary vessel. Maybe someone you like. Krissy seems nice. Would you like that, Sam? Would you like it if I came to you as a young woman this time? Surely we could work something out._

Sam felt burning fingers curl around his neck and up into his scalp and he yanked on the bonds holding his wrists to the chair, frantic to shove away the sudden pressure straddling him. In desperation, he tried to bite down on his tongue, to use the pain as a distraction, but the gag shoved between his teeth wouldn't let him. A long, low chuckle filled Sam's mind and the fingers twining in his hair suddenly _yanked_ and all of Sam's skin came away...

 

*

 

The human strapped to the chair gave a long, keening cry around the gag and two of his guards glanced at each other, somewhat unnerved. They had never witnessed the effects of demonic withdrawal and it was... startling. They swiftly came to attention, though, when Hannah strode into the room to check on things.

"Any change?" she asked Jael, the leader of the guards.

"He's getting worse," Jael said.

Hannah nodded. "And he'll keep getting worse until it's out of his system. But someone will show up soon. Either Castiel will appear, or the demon will. Remember the plan: if Dean Winchester turns up, stall him as long as you can while we launch the reconnaissance assault on Hell; If Castiel arrives, signal me and we will come here instead. Either way, we will get some answers."

Jael saluted her understanding and Hannah nodded at the rest of the guards before leaving to prepare her team to lay siege to Hell. If Castiel had indeed Fallen, or if he was simply being held captive somehow, they would pull him out and discover the truth.

 

*

 

Charlie and Krissy crouched behind a row of bushes, watching the under-construction building where the angels were holed up. It looked like it had been a fire station once upon a time, but it had been gutted and was on its way to becoming something else: a community center, a sign on the temporary fencing surrounding the site proclaimed.

The entrances to the building were blocked by devil's traps, and there were wards painted on the windows as well. They were the kind Dean had no trouble bypassing, though, so it would appear Cas hadn't shared this piece of information with the Host.

Kevin had gone ahead to get the lay of the land - they were close enough that it was within his range - and they were waiting for him to report back when suddenly light flared and several windows exploded. Charlie and Krissy exchanged alarmed looks, then sprinted as one for the building.

They burst through the door, only to find one angel down, wingprints and all, and Dean tearing through another one to get to Sam. Three died bloody before Charlie got out one of her banishment papers, sliced her hand, and sent the rest of the guard shooting back to Heaven for their own protection. 

Dean didn't even blink when the angels vanished, just dashed to Sam's side. Sam was shaking, hunched over in the chair, wrists beginning to bleed from where he had tugged so much at the ropes. Dean ripped the gag out of Sam's mouth and sliced open his own wrist.

"Dean, wait!" Charlie shouted.

Dean didn't even acknowledge her. He pulled Sam's head back by the hair and pressed his wrist to Sam's mouth, a look of pure determination on his face. A trickle of red leaked down the corner of Sam's mouth and his throat worked, swallowing reflexively.

" _Shit_!" Krissy swore as she and Charlie ran across the big, empty room. Kevin flickered into existence beside Dean, trying to summon enough power to shove him or _something,_ but was entirely unsuccessful.

Sam's eyes flew open just as Krissy and Charlie reached Dean and flung themselves on him. Charlie leapt onto his back and Krissy put her full weight into dragging his arm away from Sam's mouth. It worked, but only because Sam gasped for breath and Dean needed to move his wrist away to let him. Sam's mouth was stained red and his eyes were wild, but he had stopped shaking and seemed to be seeing only the people who were actually there.

Dean shrugged a wide-eyed Charlie off his back and made quick work of the ropes binding Sam to the chair. Sam stayed seated, breathing heavily as Dean leaned over him. Charlie and Krissy both backed away, Kevin hovering with them.

"Sammy?"

Sam's head shot up, face twisted in anger. "Dean... what did you do to me?!" Sam surged out of the chair, taking a wild swing at his brother, and Dean leapt back.

"You're ok, Sammy--"

" _No_ ," Sam said. Then he lifted a hand, fingers hooked into claws, and clenched it slowly. Charlie was tempted to make a Darth Vader joke, but when she saw Dean's reaction, the words died in her throat.

Dean stopped dead in his tracks, even dropped the First Blade, eyes going wide and then going black. "Sam, don't--" he choked out, but Sam just growled and redoubled his efforts. Muscles corded in Dean's neck and he dropped to his knees, back arching as muscles contracted and would not relax. A pained groan made it out past clenched teeth as Sam bore down on his brother, determined to show him exactly how big a mistake he had just made.

"Damn it, Sam, quit it!" Krissy dashed between Sam and Dean and threw an overhand punch at Sam that just clipped his jaw. Sam stumbled back slightly, concentration broken, and Dean collapsed in a heap on the floor. "What the fuck was that?" she demanded of Sam. Sam looked away, halfway between ashamed and furious.

Charlie, meanwhile, was making sure Dean was still breathing. He was, though his face was a grimace of pain as he tried to force his muscles to relax. "Dean? You all right?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah," Dean gasped, rolling onto his back. "Can't actually be exorcised. Just hurts like a bitch."

"Oh. I see. That would be because you're, you know, a demon now. What the hell, Dean? You call and the first thing you mention isn't 'Hey, I've been turned into a demon'?! Or, or, better yet, 'Hey, me and Cas finally made good on all those smoldering stares'? I thought we were friends!"

Dean's laugh turned into a groan. "I missed you, Charlie. I haven't figured out how you could survive Hell yet, but believe me, I am working on it."

"Hm. Creepy," Charlie said. Then she grabbed Dean's wrist and snapped a manacle around it.

"What--"

Charlie grabbed his other hand and slapped the other cuff onto it, then stood and kicked the First Blade away.

"Try teleporting now!" The manacles had been etched and painted using the special recipe Sam had taught Krissy to confine Dean. Dean glared balefully up at Charlie while Sam, Krissy, and Kevin came over to join them. Sam had calmed down considerably; while he was still extremely pissed off, he also felt _amazing_ , so that helped. Still, the thought of the crash coming after this high was not a pleasant one.

"Dean, what were you even thinking?" Sam asked.

"You wouldn't stand a chance in Hell without the demon blood, Sammy," Dean explained reasonably from the floor.

"What makes you think I'm going to Hell?"

Dean gave him a look as though Sam were a first-grader who had just announced that he would never go to the dentist. "Everyone ends up in Hell, Sam. Every single one of us. There's nothing you can do about it except pave yourself a smooth ride."

Kevin's look was horrified, Charlie's full of pity, Krissy's sad. But Sam just leaned down, grabbed the front of Dean's shirt, and punched him as hard as he could, knocking him out.

 

*

 

In Hell, a flock of angels descended in righteous fury and determination. They assaulted Dean's bastion, poured into it, armed to the pinions for confrontation.

But what they found were several demons lying dead, their eyes burned out, and no angels, Fallen or otherwise, anywhere to be seen.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Esbon, Kansas](http://www.esbonkansas.org/) actually exists, and is, in fact, in the process of turning their old fire hall into a community center (or so they think.) Here's a few choice lines from the website: "Esbon, Kansas is a friendly, peaceful community located in the heartland of the United States. [...] Hunters are drawn to the land surrounding Esbon..."
> 
> It's about half an hour from Lebanon, KS, where the bunker is located.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 

"So you had seriously never read Harry Potter?" Charlie asked.

"Nope! Jo, my - er - ex - she read them, but she's always reading, so," Krissy shrugged. "I didn't think they were anything special."

"Well, if she didn't sit you down and force you to read them, good riddance," Charlie said. "What about you, Kevin? You're a Ravenclaw if ever I met one."

"I read them," Kevin said. "But less for fun, more for... academic reasons."

"Oh come on. You enjoyed them. Look, you even got yourself a Horcrux," Charlie said, gesturing to the ring Krissy still wore around her neck. Kevin had said he didn't mind her keeping it on, as it gave him more of a chance to escape in case disaster struck. "But, you know, nicer than a Horcrux. Less evil."

"I wouldn't mind re-reading them now that I don't have to worry about whether they're gonna show up somehow on a test," Kevin admitted. "Sadly, there's the little problem of my discorporeality." He wiggled his fingers at them and flickered. Krissy watched nervously. He'd been flickering more and more lately, and disappearing for long periods of time.

"That's not a word," Charlie said.

"But you knew what I meant. Native speaker's prerogative."

"Nerd."

The three of them were sitting around the library table (well, two of them were sitting. One was hovering) while Solomon cavorted amongst the bookshelves, occasionally running back to the table to run _through_ Kevin, which the ferret apparently found to be highly entertaining. Charlie had appropriated Sam's laptop once again, as he wouldn't be needing it for a while. Sam was in detox deep in one of the dungeons, heavily warded and restrained. He'd ordered them to leave him alone until he was completely clean, but Charlie had a little camera down there feeding image to the computer so that they would know if anything went terribly wrong.

Dean was stuck in one of the spare bedrooms, fuming. It was the same room Sam had trapped him in with Cas, back when this whole thing had begun. It still had the specialized trap painted on the ceiling: they had only had to make minor repairs to it. Dean remained manacled, and they had added an extra trap outside the door. Sam had also carefully divested Dean of every single lock-pick or hardedge on his person and removed all the furniture from the room for good measure. Surrounded by concrete and traps, he was pretty sure even Dean would have a hard time breaking out. Still, another of Charlie's cameras watched his every move.

The First Blade got dropped into the bunker's most secure vault, one that Sam said no demon would ever be able to break into even if they did make it that far into the bunker.

So now Krissy, Kevin, and Charlie just had to wait. They hadn't heard from any angels since the confrontation at Esbon. Kevin had filled them in on the conversation he'd overhead between Hannah and Jael about sending a team to Hell to fetch Cas. They had all tried praying to Cas with no result, but they couldn't tell if that was because he was still in Hell, or because the angels had succeeded in extracting him and were holding him in Heaven. There was nothing they could do right now to figure it out, though, short of releasing Dean to check it out himself. And everyone agreed that wasn't a good plan.

Charlie was curious, though. Dean had called her back to Earth for a reason, and she didn't think it was just some pretense to get her here. It was too random. So while she and Krissy and Kevin joked and laughed their stress away around that table, she was also combing the internet for signs of Turner Cameron, 16-year-old surfer.

And she found him, too. The kid was living a quiet life in Gawler, Australia of all places. Not exactly known for its surfing. But her research had shown that he'd bounced all over the world - and with no source of income that she could trace. She hesitated only briefly before sending him a quick message asking if he believed in demons and insinuating very strongly that they believed in him. If he had no idea what she was talking about, he'd write her off as just another crazy person online. But if he was somehow 'in the life' as Sam and Dean and Krissy put it, maybe this would open a dialogue and clear up at least one mystery.

Charlie and Krissy made themselves at home. Kevin showed them where everything was kept, and they cooked and talked and laughed and glanced at the security cameras only occasionally and pretended that the world wasn't going to Hell.

The next day, though, Charlie announced that she was leaving.

"Not like, back-to-Oz leaving. I need to go into Lawrence," she said.

"We'll go with you," Krissy said, speaking for both herself and Kevin, who had vanished again. "What do you need?"

Charlie shook her head. "I got an email from that kid Dean asked me to look up. He's in Lawrence, wants to meet. I don't want to spook him."

"That's dumb," Krissy said bluntly. "There's a reason Dean was looking for this guy. He could be dangerous. And I thought you said he was in Australia - what's he doing in Lawrence?"

Charlie shrugged. "There's definitely something weird about him. But look, I've been doing the hunter thing in Oz for a year. If I can face down a horde of flying monkeys with nothing but a broomstick and a lighter, I can handle a 16-year-old kid. I'll go in prepared."

"I don't know," Krissy said, unconvinced.

"Besides," Charlie went on. "Someone has to stay here and keep an eye on the boys." She cast a glance at the cameras. They had strapped Sam down pretty well with padded restraints, and it was obvious he was suffering. But it was also obvious he hadn't hit the worst of it yet. On the other camera, Dean was sitting with his back to the wall, chained hands clasped in front of him, head tipped back staring at the ceiling. He looked really bored. "I'll be gone less than a day. Hold down the fort."

So it was with considerable misgivings that Krissy watched Charlie mount Dorothy's old motorcycle and take off out of the bunker.

"I should have planted you on her," Krissy said to Kevin's ring when the last echoes of the bike were fading. He surprised her by flickering into existence right in front of her.

"So that if something happened to her, I'd be stuck out there with no way to tell you? No thanks," Kevin said.

"Then we should follow her."

Kevin shook his head. "She's right about someone needing to stay here and keep an eye on things. Sam could seriously hurt himself, and Dean... well, I have no idea what Dean could do, but it would probably be something surprising and terrible."

Krissy sighed. "Fine. Let's go sit around a basement and wonder how our lives came down to babysitting two full-grown men, with occasional breaks to bitch about how unfair it all is."

"Only if we can marathon the Harry Potter audiobooks while we do it."

Krissy grinned. "Done."

 

*

 

Charlie had no trouble at all finding a parking spot on an out-of-the-way, tree-lined street just outside a little cafe called Alchemy Coffee. She slung her messenger bag over her shoulder, making sure her hand could slip into it easily if she needed any of the contents. It was broad daylight, though, and the coffee shop was busy. She scanned the outdoor tables first, and spotted Turner Cameron almost at once. He had nothing with him that she could see, and had chosen a small two-person table within view of a busier street, so she walked over.

"Turner Cameron?" she asked, though of course she'd already recognized him. He looked up and stood.

"You must be my mysterious contact," he said, offering a hand.

"Charlie," she introduced herself. Instead of shaking his hand, she pulled out a flask of holy water and dumped it on his open palm. There was no sizzle, but Cameron didn't seem terribly surprised either, shaking off the moisture with a wry smile.

"Not a demon," he said.

"Human?"

"Not exactly that, either. Will you sit?"

He sat down first, so Charlie slid into the seat across from him.

"My real name's Jesse Turner," he said. "And I'm what you might call--"

"Oh my gods. You're the antichrist," Charlie said, feeling suddenly sick. "From _I Believe the Children Are Our Future_. I always wondered what happened to you at the end of that book!"

"...book?"

"The _Supernatural_ book series. It's all of Sam and Dean Winchester's adventures - there was a prophet, it's a long story - but you're in one. Oh boy am I in over my head."

"It's ok," Jesse said. "Breathe. I'm not... you know, antichrist is such a loaded term. And without Lucifer running around, there's not a whole bunch I can still do. A little weather manipulation, just enough reality folding to let me teleport - that's it, really."

"Oh, is that all," Charlie said faintly. "If you're really so harmless, why was Dean looking for you?"

"You know the Winchesters?"

"Uh... maybe."

Jesse shook his head with a smile. "It's ok. I owe a lot to Sam and Dean. Without them, I would have been caught up in that whole apocalypse mess. Instead, I got out. I protected the people I loved, and I've been able to live a good life. They told me I could be a superhero, and now I kind of am."

"Wow. That's... really great," Charlie said. "But Dean's life didn't turn out so well. If you really do want to stay out of things, if he comes looking for you, I'd head the other direction."

"I've heard some rumblings," Jesse admitted uncomfortably. "Things are getting mixed up in Hell. It's... it's not good. I can feel it - my power fluctuates sometimes. Just a little while ago I felt like I could almost do the kinds of things I did when I was a kid. And then I got your message. How worried should I be?"

"Well, I think we've got it mostly under control," Charlie said. "But all we know about you is that Dean was looking for you. I don't think he actually knows who he was really looking for - I don't know where he got your fake name or what he was going to do when he found out who you are, but it probably wasn't anything good. He's not exactly on the side of the angels anymore."

Jesse considered that seriously for a few moments. "I can avoid any demons that come looking for me, I think," he said. "I've gotten pretty good at laying low."

"Yeah if it wasn't for that surfing tournament, I don't know how I would have found you," Charlie said. Jesse shook his head and smiled.

"I couldn't resist. I knew it was a mistake, but I just love the sport. You have no idea how hard it was to pull myself back. I actually meant to take third."

"Yeah, maybe avoid global tournaments in the future," Charlie advised. "Hey, Jesse... you said you owe Sam and Dean a lot. Would you be willing to do a favor for me, on their behalf?"

"If I can," Jesse said cautiously. "What is it?"

"Well, Cas - Castiel, you met him - has gone missing. We don't know if the angels have him or if he's in Hell, but... it would be really helpful to have him back. Can you help at all?"

Jesse snorted. "That guy? Yeah, I met him. Didn't like him much, but Dean saw something in him. I guess if you need him I could try to find him. He's an angel, though, right?"

"Uh, kind of. He kind of... Fell recently."

"Fell? Like Lucifer Fell?" Charlie nodded and Jesse leaned back heavily in his chair, pushing a hand through his hair. "That's... well that'll make him easier for me to find. But are you sure you want to? I mean, he was scary when he was _good_."

"He's the biggest gun we've got. If Dean goes darkside on us, or the angels attack because we're holding him, or the _demons_ attack because we're holding him, we're really, really gonna need Cas."

"Ok. I'll do my best," Jesse promised. "It was nice to meet you, Charlie," he said with a sudden bright grin that made him look much younger.

And then he was gone with a little pop of air. Charlie blinked and looked around, but it didn't seem anyone else had noticed. She sighed and rose, heading back to the bike. The roar of the engine as it sprang to life completely covered the low growl of the Hellhound watching her from the opposite corner.

Crowley rested a hand on the Hound's head and turned to Ravi, who was standing beside him. "You see? They have your so-called king. Take it from someone who knows, he's not getting out of that bunker intact. And they're weak - just her and the niblet and the ghost in there. The Moose is down for the count. If we attack now, we can take out the Winchesters for good."

Ravi nodded. He was possessing a random host he'd picked up when Crowley had brought him up here, but his whole face still hurt from where Dean had expressed his disappointment in his guarding abilities. When he went back to Hell, it would be swollen and bruised. But he was still in better shape than Orion and Shara, who had died guarding that damned angel of Dean's. Now it was just Ravi and Leela left of the lieutenants, and they had both had enough of Dean and his confused priorities.

"Sounds good to me," Ravi said. "Let me go get Leela. We'll gather the troops and back your play."

Crowley nodded his dismissal and Ravi left. Saints, but this was easy. The demons of today weren't what they used to be - show them a strong hand, and they all fell in line. Dean was just like Abaddon: all sound and fury, but useless when it came to long-term ruling. Crowley would show him what it meant to be King of Hell. Slowly and painfully.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am too cold to think up anything snarky to say, so... thanks for reading!
> 
> *shivers*


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 

Castiel had lost the will to move yesterday. When he'd first come to his senses in this cold, windswept place, he'd cast about for some indicator as to where he was. He'd wandered cold, pebbly beaches and cold, rocky grasslands and had startled cold, wild reindeer and sheep, but the most that he could determine was that he was on Earth. And powerless.

He had caught himself thinking about what Lucifer would be able to do in this situation, and had sat down immediately where he was, on a low bluff looking over a steel gray ocean. He didn't want to think about what Lucifer would be able to do, because whatever it was, he was fairly certain he didn't want to do it.

So Cas had remained there for hours, possibly days, staring at the ocean and thinking. He was considering bees again - he remembered being happy around bees - when someone sat down next to him. He was so deep in his thoughts, though, that he didn't realize someone had joined him until that person spoke.

"Penny for your thoughts?" the boy said.

"I have no need for human currency," Cas responded absently. The boy laughed.

"You look the same. You even sound the same, Castiel. Do you remember me?"

Cas turned his head slowly, taking in the boy's brown hair, the shape of his jaw, the narrow mouth. He shuffled through eons of memories. Luckily, he didn't have to go back far. "Jesse Turner," Castiel said, mildly surprised. "The cambion. Katako."

"No need for name-calling. Charlie sent me to find you."

Cas rested his chin on his knees. "I can't help them anymore."

Jesse considered him for a few moments, then leaned back on his hands, turning his face to the cloudy sky. "Why's that?"

"What can I offer them? Even as an angel, I did more harm than good. Now, Fallen - well, would you ask Lucifer to help you?"

Jesse shrugged. "Me and Satan got kind of a weird relationship. But I do know one thing - if you were just like him, I'd be able to do a lot more to help you right now."

For the first time, something sparked in Cas's eyes. "Your powers... you could do anything. Could you fix me?"

Jesse was shaking his head before Cas even finished. "No, no. All I've got's a little weather manipulation, some reality folding. Sometimes other stuff if I'm feeling strong emotions - which is why I try not to."

"Ah," Castiel said, turning his face back out toward the sea.

"Hey, Castiel, if you have no powers, how did you get here? Last Charlie knew, you were in Hell."

Castiel was silent for so long that Jesse thought he wasn't going to answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and the words slow, as though he were having a hard time remembering. "I...was lifted from Hell. He burned the demons and wrapped me in radiance and lifted me free. And then left me here. Wherever here is."

"The Desolation Islands," Jesse supplied. "About as remote as you can get. But, Castiel, whoever left you here - they must have cared about you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because this entire island is stamped with an anti-angel sigil the size of Adelaide. It's stopping them from finding you."

Castiel kept silent. When he had been pulled from Hell, he'd thought... but, well, he'd been mistaken before. But damned if the sheer force of the power that had saved him, not to mention the sarcastic comment about his weight, didn't seem extremely familiar. But that was impossible; much more likely some other angel was playing with him, yet again, for purposes as yet unknown. 

Jesse made a small sound of impatience. "Ok, Castiel, here's the thing. You're feeling kind of sorry for yourself right now, and I get that. I've been there. It's not easy to think that you're some... hellthing... and that you get no choice in the matter. I don't know what you did to get cast down into the pit, but, you know, being what I am, I've done a lot of reading on the matter. Given what I've read, and what I know about you, I'm thinking your situation isn't permanent."

Cas's head swiveled toward Jesse, eyes intent. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, no, see, if I have to tell you, it won't matter at all. It has to come from you. Just think, though. You've compared yourself to Lucifer, and probably other people have been telling you that, too. But you're different. The sins may have been similar, but _you're_ not." Jesse got to his feet, brushing off his jeans. "Think about that, ok? And then get your butt off this island and back in the game."

And with that, he vanished.

Cas blinked. His eyes moved slowly back out toward the ocean. He hugged his knees to his chest, settled his chin on them, and stared across the water. And while he stared, he thought. He thought about the path that had led him here, and he thought about whoever had saved him. He thought about Dean and his indomitable drive to protect and where it had led him. He thought about Sam, and Kevin, and Bobby Singer, and all of the angels he had ever known. He thought about God. 

And then he started thinking about Lucifer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are an awful lot of characters in this fic that can just vanish at will.
> 
> I'm not sorry.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 

Lucidity came like dawn on a stormy morning: very slowly and vaguely, so that Sam wasn't sure it had actually happened at all. He faded in and out of consciousness a few times before finally forcing himself to keep his eyes open and study his surroundings.

No blood dripping from anywhere. No voices. He was alone in the room and, he was pretty sure, thinking clearly.

He was still restrained. The muscles in his arms and legs burned, so he knew he must have been doing everything he could to pull free, but the straps had held. Good. This was all good. He'd gone through Hell and survived yet again.

Now... how on Earth was he going to get _out_?

Sam didn't have to worry about that long, though, because the door to his cell swung open just then and Charlie stuck her head in. "Hey, Sam. Things looked pretty calm in here. You all... detoxed?"

"Uh, yeah. I think so," Sam said. "How long have I been in here?"

"Three days, more or less. No hallucinations? Hearing things? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Two. Pretty sure I'm ok. Or I will be after a shower and some food."

"Thank goodness," Charlie said, crossing the room to release him. "Things are... it'll be good to have you back, Sam."

Sam sat up and rubbed his wrists while Charlie freed his legs. "That sounds bad. Dean?"

"No, Dean's fine. Kevin goes in to talk to him every day because he can't hurt him and I read this article that said solitary confinement will drive a person crazy, and I figure we're far enough down that road as it is, so - uh, no. It's not Dean. Let's get you cleaned up and I'll explain everything."

Sam stumbled out of the room, picked up a change of clothes, ducked into and out of the shower, and found Charlie in the kitchen with a bowl of ramen ready for him.

"It's that or C-rations," she said apologetically. "Making supply runs has become... problematic."

Krissy wandered into the kitchen wearing pajamas and slippers, her hair a tousled mess. She was still wearing Kevin's ring around her neck and he faded into visibility beside Sam. "Morning, Sam," Krissy said through a yawn, making straight for the coffee pot. "Not crazy? Good."

"What time is it?" Sam asked, watching Kevin carefully. He looked out of focus.

"About 4 AM," Kevin said.

"You have hideous timing," Krissy complained, watching the coffee percolate with the particular intensity of the sleep-deprived. "But I'm glad you're back. Have you told him?" she asked Charlie.

"Just about to," she said, turning to Sam, who was gulping down the ramen completely oblivious to how hot it was. "Sam, the bunker is under siege."

"Hn. Who?" Sam asked.

"Crowley." Kevin spat the word like a curse.

"What? Him and what army?"

"Um, Hell's army, actually," Charlie said. "Turns out keeping Dean here sort of... destabilized his regime. You've gotta hand it to him, Crowley is very good at taking over Hell..."

"All right, so, under siege. That means - what, exactly?" Sam asked.

"We poke our nose out the door, we have a dozen demons waiting to slice it off," Krissy said.

"No sign of angel activity?"

"None." This from Charlie. "They might all still be looking for Cas, or trying to reorganize since he's gone. Or maybe they just want _us_ gone and think the demons will take care of it for them..."

"Cas is still missing, then?" Nods all around.

"Oh! But I asked the antichrist to go look for him," Charlie said.

"You _what_?"

Charlie explained her meeting with Jesse Turner, including the fact that he was why Dean had called her back to Earth in the first place - there hadn't been much time to go into details earlier. Sam was just as clueless as to why Dean would be looking for Jesse in the first place, but added it to the growing list of things to talk to his brother about.

"Ok, so here's the big question: what does Crowley want?" Sam said finally, when he was caught up.

"Dean's head on a platter," suggested Krissy, finally pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Sam sighed. "Of course. All right, then, I'm going to go talk to Dean. Then we'll figure out what to do. Sit tight - this bunker was specifically built to hold out against demons. We'll be fine for a while yet."

 

*

 

Dean was bored. He had counted every tiny pockmark in the concrete walls, had memorized every curve of the demon trap above, had measured the room a hundred times by the length of his paces, and had found that one wall was more comfortable to lean against than the others.

He had tried everything to get the manacles off, but even if he had succeeded, he wasn't sure how that would help. He'd never been a shake-the-earth type of demon, so the single trap above would hold him just as effectively without the manacles if he couldn't damage it himself.

Now he was lying on his back in the middle of the floor, staring at the trap and trying to see if he could remember all the words to "Some Kind of Monster".

He had just gotten to the second verse when the door swung open. Dean shot to his feet immediately and Sam walked in.

"Well aren't you brave," Dean said. "Putting yourself alone in a room with the big scary demon."

Sam snorted. "Yeah, what are you gonna do to me, Dean? You've already done the worst thing you could have."

"You want an apology? I'm not sorry. Pretty sure I _can't_ be sorry, actually, which is sort of nice."

"Crowley's taken over Hell again, Dean. Just thought you ought to know that there's nothing there for you to go back to."

"Well damn," Dean said. "All our hard work."

"Yeah, well, don't worry about it. We'll handle Crowley. We always have. After we purify you."

Dean's eyes flicked to black as his lip curled. "I'd like to see you try."

"I've done it before, Dean," Sam reminded him.

"Yeah, when your blood was half holy fire from those damn trials. You're not as pure as you were then, Sammy. Besides - maybe you've forgotten - you still have to deal with the Mark of Cain. Untwist me, and it might just kill me."

"Sure," Sam said, leaning casually against a wall. "Hey Dean, you remember when I was soulless?"

"Yeah...?"

"And you did everything in your power to put my soul back, even though you knew it might kill me? Even though soulless me didn't want it?"

"This isn't the same thing," Dean growled.

"Really? Because it's looking pretty similar from over here." Sam straightened. "I just wanted to give you a heads up. Me and Krissy and Charlie - which, by the way, thanks for dragging her into this, Dean, real nice - have to go deal with a demon siege. And when we're done cleaning up that mess, we'll deal with you." Sam turned to go.

"Hey, wait a sec," Dean said and Sam looked back. His eyes had returned to normal. "Is Cas ok?"

Sam's expression hardened. "We don't know, Dean. For all we know he was left in Hell when Crowley took over again."

"Shit." Despite Dean's earlier assertion to the contrary, Sam was fairly certain that it was actual remorse crossing Dean's face at that moment. "Look, Sam, you gotta let me out. Just long enough to deal with Crowley and get Cas back."

"No way, Dean."

"Sam, please."

"I let you out, I'll never see you again until it's too late. Sorry, Dean, but Cas is on his own now. Might be the Host will be able to get to him, or maybe he'll be able to get himself out, but there's no way I'm letting you go. Cas would tell me to do the same thing," Sam said, opening the door and letting himself out.

"Damn it, Sam!" Dean shouted. Sam shut the door on his further protests and rejoined Kevin, Krissy, and Charlie upstairs.

"All right. Let's go have a word with our guests."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think eating ramen before it's cool enough is probably the most impressive thing Sam Winchester has ever done.
> 
> Thanks for reading :) Two more chapters and an epilogue to go...


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 

Sam tried to talk Krissy and Charlie into staying in the bunker while he went to deal with the demons outside, but they insisted on accompanying him. Kevin came along too, since Krissy (no longer in pajamas and considerably more awake now) was still wearing his ring, though he promised to stay out of sight so as not to draw attention to the fact that Krissy was carrying a valuable, easily-stolen/kidnapped item.

They climbed the stairs and gathered themselves at the top, Sam taking point with Krissy and Charlie flanking him. Sam bore Ruby's knife while both Krissy and Charlie were armed with angel blades.

Sam glanced at both women to make sure they were ready, then took a deep breath and slowly swung open the bunker's door.

Immediately, several demons converged on the opening, breaking from the ranks of demons surrounding the bunker and the power plant that sat atop it. They clustered in the small well around the door, obviously intent on forcing their way in - or forcing the occupants out. But Sam had painted a large devil's trap on the floor just inside the door, in which he, Krissy, and Charlie were all standing. The demons couldn't get to them without stepping into the trap. They could only mass in the tiny clear area in front of the door threateningly.

"Get me Crowley," Sam ordered the nearest one. It sneered at him, and Sam's arm shot out, snagging it by the front of its shirt and dragging it into the trap with them, where he promptly stabbed it. Sam focused on the next nearest demon. "How about you?"

The demon looked at the wasted body of its compatriot, grumbled, and turned, pushing through the crowd to go find Crowley. The rest of the demons stayed put, eyeing Sam, Krissy, and Charlie hungrily.

Sam grinned nastily at them. " _Exorciamus te, omnis immundus spiritus_ ," he began and the crowd of demons took a collective step back. " _Omnis satanica potestas,_ " Sam continued and they began scrambling over each other to get out of earshot, dashing back to their squads across the road. Sam snorted. "Amateurs," he muttered to Krissy and Charlie. "Crowley brought a bunch of B-listers with him. Any demon with real power would have just flung me into a wall to shut me up."

"Are you complaining?" Krissy asked.

"Nah, just saying. Oh look, the runner's back."

The demon who had gone off, ostensibly to fetch Crowley, was jogging back, looking nervously at the demons vacating the premises as he did so. "The king will see you," he said.

"What, he wants us to walk out there in the middle of his army for an audience? Cute. Not happening," Sam said.

The demon looked annoyed. "We're to give you safe passage. The army will withdraw across the road and you can meet with him out in the open. But we'll be watching."

Sam looked past the demon and saw that the rest of the army was, in fact, retreating.

"And you're to leave your weapons behind," the demon said.

"Oh, sure."

"Really?"

"Hell no. Crowley's not actually expecting us to, either, so lead the way."

The demon shrugged in an 'it-was-worth-a-shot' sort of way and began walking down the road away from the bunker's entrance. Sam, Charlie, and Krissy followed cautiously.

True to their word, the army had withdrawn across the road into the fields beyond and was watching as they approached Crowley, who was standing on his own, hands in his pockets, apparently unconcerned. The demon who had brought them joined the others at a distance. There were hundreds of them, legions, stretched out along the road several hundred yards behind Crowley and back into the fields on the other side.

"Moose. Mini-moose. And... I'm sorry, what are you?" Crowley asked, eyes on Charlie.

"Oh great, I'm an extra. Never a good sign when the villain doesn't know your name," Charlie said.

"She's back-up," Sam said. "As in, I trust her to take you out if something happens to me."

Crowley rolled his eyes. "How dramatic. Ok, gang, here I am. What did you have to say to me?"

"Call off your army," Sam said.

"Yes? And?" Crowley flung his hands up in disgust. "Does no one know how to make a deal these days? Why in the nine circles would I do a thing like that?"

"You call off the army, we'll make sure Dean never bothers you again."

"Hm, see, I sort of had planned to do that myself. It would be very hard for him to bother me stretched out on a rack in Hell as a Hellhound's chew toy for the rest of eternity," Crowley said. "So I think I'll pass."

"Nice try, Crowley, but you'll never get to him. This bunker will hold out against you for years, and I guarantee a stray contingent of angels is going to take an interest in you if you stick around that long," Sam replied. "How'd you even get this many demons up here, anyway?"

"Trade secret," Crowley said. "And angels these days are not quite as confrontation-prone as they once were. Something about losing a huge portion of their number has made them a little cautious - especially with their darling leader missing."

"You know something about Cas?"

"I might," Crowley lied. "But I won't be telling you. You have nothing to bargain with, Sam. You were even foolish enough to come this far out of your super secret base. I don't care how good you are, there's no way you're fast enough to beat my demons back to the door," Crowley said.

Sam gripped the knife and Charlie and Krissy closed ranks behind him. "You gave us your word on safe passage," Sam pointed out, though he knew it was foolish.

"Excuse me? You trusted my word? Did we share a moment I'm not remembering? I think I would recall kissing you, Moose. No kiss, no deal - you're fair game."

"Guys," Sam said.

"Uh-huh," said Charlie.

"Yeah," agreed Krissy. They began backing toward the bunker, eyes on the demon army arrayed in front of them. Crowley shook his head.

"I am _disappointed_ in you, Sammy. To think it would be this easy to take you out after all these years. And I get mini-hunter and Anne of Green Gables here as a bonus. It's been fun. I might even miss you." The demons, who had been keeping their distance began to inch forward. Sam knew that as soon as they broke into a run, the demons would be on them.

"You guys head for the door. I'll hold them off."

"Bad plan," Charlie said.

"No, no, it's fine. I've got an idea," Sam lied blithely.

"What's the idea?" Krissy asked, skeptical.

"Uh..."

The first demons started to run, and then it was like a wave crashing. Sam braced himself - but what he was not expecting was the sudden flash of blinding light that washed over the entire area.

"Was that your plan?!" he heard Krissy yell. The light faded and Sam blinked rapidly to clear his vision.

He, Charlie, and Krissy had suddenly found themselves behind the entire Host, all facing down the demon army, which had stopped in its tracks. At their head was a familiar trench-coated figure.

"Crowley," Cas said, nearly growling the word.

"Why, Castiel. Fancy seeing you here," Crowley drawled. His eyes narrowed as he examined Cas. "And with nary a feather out of place. You must refer me to your stylist."

"Dean Winchester is no longer any concern of Hell's," Castiel said, ignoring Crowley's banter. "His crimes are against Heaven, and Heaven will see them righted. Take your army and go."

Crowley glanced at his army, who seemed more enraged than cowed by the sudden presence of the Host, then back at the angels, considering. "Counteroffer," he said. Cas's expression darkened. "You don't want a fight here. You'll probably beat us, sure, but how many angels can you afford to lose doing so? So, we'll scoot ourselves back down to Hell in exchange for the First Blade."

Sam tensed. With the First Blade in his possession, and Cain still out in the world somewhere, Crowley could ostensibly create another demon just like Dean - virtually unstoppable. Sam watched Cas nervously, completely unsure of where his priorities lay at that moment. But to his immense relief, Cas shook his head.

"I cannot remit the Blade into Hell's possession," Cas said.

"Gee could it have something to do with him _not having it_? Arrogant much?" Charlie muttered. Sam elbowed her.

"Well then," Crowley said. "War it is." He gestured to his army and they bolted forward, a sea of individual demons howling for angel blood. The angels met them in disciplined formations, silver blades flashing.

"Ok, now would be the time to run," Sam said. But before they could, a few demons broke through the fighting and headed straight toward them. Sam intercepted the first of them even as two others ran past him. Charlie and Krissy met them with angel blades at the ready as Sam stabbed his demon and whirled to help them.

Charlie had engaged one of the demons while the third was approaching Krissy, who was backing away slowly, looking for a strategic opening. The demon lunged at her before Sam could get to it, blade headed straight for her heart - and then suddenly Sam was blinded for the second time that day by a burst of angelic radiance.

He heard shouts of pain from the demons and cries of confusion from the Host and tried to get a look at what angel had leapt in front of Krissy with such a display. When the spots cleared from his vision he stared. So did everyone else on the field.

The angel standing in front of Krissy was only about half a foot taller than she was, with messy brown hair and an irreverent smirk on his face.

"What?" he said. "That demon clearly threatened a prophet of the lord. Archangels are supposed to appear to defend him. Why do you all look so shocked?"

Kevin faded into visibility beside Krissy. "Don't you think you're a _little late_?" he demanded.

Gabriel shrugged. "Better late than never. What's all the ruckus down here?"

 

**  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to let you all know that my beta STILL has not forgiven me for this chapter - particularly the part where Sam decides it's a good idea to just wander out into the midst of a demon army to parlay. My counterargument is that he has done stupider things in canon (The whole demon blood thing. Trying to brain-wrestle Lucifer. Et cetera.) but if it makes you feel better, he DID have a plan. The plan was to get close enough to stab Crowley if things went south so at least he could die knowing he'd finally taken the bastard down.
> 
> I didn't say it was a _good_ plan.
> 
> Also, hey look, it's Gabe. How 'bout that.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

 

Gabriel's appearance had thrown both armies into chaos. The fighting had more-or-less ceased, with the demons looking at each other uncertainly and the Host wondering if this was some trick. Gabe took a step forward. "You know," he said, as if talking to himself. "I wonder what would happen to all of these demons if I showed my _true_ form..."

Gabriel began to glow.

Sam's eyes widened and he rushed past him to pull Charlie and Krissy down to the ground. "Cover your eyes," he warned them.

The shadow of Gabriel's wings flickered into existence, first one pair, then another, then the third. Most of the demons had smoked out of their bodies by now, and Crowley himself had left as soon as Gabriel had made his appearance. Gabe waited until the last of the demons had run, then dialed back the radiance. 

"Well that was easy," he said. "I don't see why you all were having such trouble with this." Gabe turned to Kevin. "All right, Kev, you ready?" 

"What?" Krissy asked, suddenly alarmed. 

"I'm sending this prophet to Heaven where he belongs. Look at him - he's got more holes than the plot of most fanfics. He's about two molecules away from busting up Cueste Verde." 

It was true that Kevin's ghost was looking rather worn, but Krissy stepped in front of him protectively anyway, hand going involuntarily to the ring around her neck. 

"It's ok, guys," Kevin reassured them, moving toward Gabriel. "I've been ready to move on for a while now, really ever since I fooled my mom into believing I had. I actually... I prayed about it. Didn't think anyone was listening, though." 

"Oh ye of little faith," Gabriel said.

Kevin grinned. "You're cutting it kind of close. That bright white light was starting to look a little red around the edges." 

"I'll...but... I'm gonna miss you, damn it," Krissy said and Charlie slung an arm around her shoulders, giving her a little hug. Sam gave Kevin an encouraging nod. 

"If you're sure, well... Thanks for helping us out again, Kevin," Sam said, one eye on the Host and wondering if this was really the time for this. Honestly, though, it would be a relief. Having played a role in Kevin's death was bad enough; having to take him out once he lost his grip would have been too much. "Heaven's... it's a good place. You'll be happy there."

Kevin smiled at them. "I'll see you guys eventually. The way people die around here..." 

"Can we move this along? If the ghost of a prophet really does go nuts while we're standing around here talking about it, it's gonna look kinda bad on Heaven's track record," Gabe said. 

Kevin nodded. "I'm ready." Gabe reached out and flicked Kevin's forehead. The ghost shimmered, then began to dissipate, eventually disappearing in a white light. 

Charlie sniffled a little. "May the Force be with you, kiddo," she said. Gabe rolled his eyes, then turned his attention away from the humans, leaving them to their murmured assurances, and surveyed the Host, who were a confused mess. Castiel was pushing through them, striding across the field toward Gabriel.

"Geez, Cas, can't leave you alone for two seconds," Gabe chided him as he approached.

"You're supposed to be dead." 

"I'm _really bad_ at following rules. Thought it'd be more fun to play a demon for a while. Seems like everyone's doing it these days." 

"You're... you pulled me from Hell," Castiel said. 

"Guilty. Wasn't sure you'd figure the rest out, but looks like you did all right, little brother," Gabe said, ruffling Cas's hair. "Figured it'd be ok to come out of retirement if you're in charge of Heaven. The biggest fish up there right now are you and Metatron, and I can handle that. I mean, someone has to make sure you don't break every fucking thing, and your boyfriend is obviously ill equipped to do that." 

"Dean's situation is... a problem," Cas admitted, looking very serious despite his tousled hair. 

"You're telling me. You have no idea the hoops I had to jump through to stop him from triggering another damn apocalypse! Interdimensional phone calls, specialized devil's traps, even rescuing Crowley's ass so that _someone_ would slow that kid down. But hey, it all worked out in the end," Gabe said, grinning, obviously pleased with himself. "If Dean had gotten his hands on that Jesse kid, though, that would have been very bad indeed. I about had a heart attack when you contacted him, lady," Gabe said, turning to Charlie. 

"Uh, sorry?" 

"Apology accepted. Now Cas, as long as I'm setting things right - which, gotta tell you, new thing for me, kinda fun - let's talk about what to do with that boyfriend of yours." 

"You can cure Dean?" Cas asked quickly. The hope in his eyes was almost painful to see. Gabe put his hands up.

"Whoa whoa. Not exactly. But your idea to have Heaven deal with him would be a good start - if there's a way to fix a demon permanently, that's where it'll happen. Luckily, you happen to know someone with the right knowledge and connections, with some skill at manipulating reality, and enough power to do it." 

Cas nodded slowly, but Sam rushed forward. "Wait a second. That's my brother you're talking about. What are you guys going to do with him, exactly?"

"Ugh, Cas, you deal with the human. I'm gonna go say hi to everyone," Gabe said, waving Sam off and sauntering over to the rest of the angels. To Sam's amusement, they all took a giant step back as he got close. 

"I don't know exactly what we'll do with Dean, Sam, but I assure you we will do everything in our power to separate his soul from the taint. And from the Mark of Cain and his dependence on the First Blade." 

"Yeah, but... I mean, will it kill him? Because if it will, I'd rather take my chances with the purification ritual we know already." 

"Sam," Cas said, eyes sympathetic. "Because of the Mark, that ritual has a high likelihood of killing him anyway. And if he dies while a demon... then Crowley will get what he wanted." 

Sam's jaw clenched. "And... in Heaven?" 

"I will do all in my power to take care of him. And if he does die, his soul will remain there. He will be at peace. And I will be with him." 

Sam took a deep breath, feeling his throat grow sticky. Then Krissy was at his side, and Charlie was on the other side, both supporting him with their presence. 

"What do you guys think?" he asked. 

"He deserves a chance," Krissy said. "Do you really want to risk sending him down to Crowley for eternity?" 

"Yeah, eternity with Cas sounds way better," Charlie put in. "Pretty sure he wouldn't object to that actually." 

Sam looked at both of them and even smiled a little. "Yeah. Thanks guys." He nodded. "Ok, Cas. Let's do it your way."

 

*

 

Dean's grin at seeing Cas faded when Gabe walked into the room behind him. 

"What the - you died," he said. 

"Why is that the first thing everyone says when they see me?" Gabe wondered. 

"Fucking _tricksters,_ " Dean fumed. 

"Oh honey, you don't even know the half of it," Gabe said. He snapped his fingers and suddenly Tevye was standing in front of Dean. He snapped again and Gabe was back. 

Dean gaped. "The whole time..." 

"Oh yeah," Gabe said. "You, my friend, have had an angel on your little demonic shoulder. And a good thing, too." 

"Dean," Cas cut in. "We're here to take you to Heaven. We think... we might be able to help you there." 

Dean sneered and his eyes blackened. "The Fallen angel's gonna take me to Heaven? How are you gonna manage that?" 

In response, Cas bared his wings. The room filled with radiance and Dean stared openly. "Your mistake, Dean, was in judging me by Lucifer's measure. Lucifer could rise again at any moment - all he would have to do would be to regret his actions. And that will never happen." 

"This is all very lovely," Gabe said. "But could we get a move on before some other plot twist comes around the corner?" 

Cas nodded and took hold of Dean's left arm. Gabriel stationed himself on the other side. 

"Hang on, guys," Sam said, stepping into the doorway from where he'd been listening outside. 

"Make it quick, kid," Gabe said. Cas gave him a scathing look. 

"Gabriel. Give them a moment." 

Gabe just rolled his eyes. 

"Dean, I just wanted to say... I guess I just wanted to say goodbye," Sam said. "I don't usually get the chance to do that." 

Dean's eyes narrowed. "You sending me to my death, Sammy?" he asked. 

"I hope not. I hope I do get to see you again. But if I don't - well, good luck. I think whatever happens, you'll end up happier than you ever were here." 

Dean gave him an incredulous look and Sam just shook his head. "Bye, Dean." 

Cas and Gabe flared their wings and Sam looked away as the details of the room were lost in light. But just before they vanished, he heard it: a quiet, "Bye, Sammy." 

And then they were gone.

 

*

 

Sam walked slowly back to the library, eyes more than a little damp.

"Oh, buddy," Charlie said, giving him a big hug. 

"Thanks, Charlie," Sam said. "I'm fine. Let's, uh, let's get you back to Dorothy, huh?" 

"You sure? I can stick around, if you want." 

"Nah, you've been gone long enough as it is. She'll be missing you." 

"All righty. I am kind of ready to get back. There's no place like Oz, after all." 

Krissy and Sam accompanied Charlie back to the same door she'd entered through. With the key, she could have used any door, but she wanted to turn up in the same place in Oz she'd left from. They said their goodbyes, and Charlie promised to visit once in a while, and then they were seeing her through the doors and right into Dorothy's waiting arms. 

"I was about to come after you," Dorothy said. 

"Don't be silly. I was in good hands the whole time," Charlie said, giving Dorothy a quick kiss on the cheek. 

The two turned and waved as the doors swung closed on them, leaving Sam and Krissy in the bunker's garage. 

"Well, Krissy, do you want to head out, too? I can give you a ride to... wherever." 

Krissy snorted. "Please. You can't get rid of me that easy. I still want my break-up sympathy ice cream." 

"Uh... I can give you ramen or C-rations." 

"They have these things called stores now, Sam. You can buy pints of ice cream there and take them home and eat them while having a Harry Potter movie marathon with your friend who needs to cry to you about a girl. I'll even share; pretty sure you're entitled to some ice cream yourself at this point," she said, grabbing his arm and dragging him toward the Impala. 

Sam actually laughed. "Ok, then," he said. 

And somehow he knew it would be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you all thought I forgot about Tevye. Not so! Anyway, that's it. Except for the epilogue, which you can expect this weekend.
> 
> Tell you what, though, I was NOT expecting them to cure Dean as easily as they did in the show. I thought for sure the Mark of Cain would interfere. This whole "Take him to Heaven" thing seems needlessly dramatic now! Ah well.
> 
> Everyone ok?


	20. Chapter 20

**Epilogue**

 

_Two Years Later_

It was a gorgeous Autumn night on campus and Krissy was walking home from an evening class, talking on the phone with Sam about her latest adventures with Josephine and Aidan. Jo and Aiden were still together, but all three of them still made the occasional hunt.

"No, he actually thought it was a mummy!" Krissy insisted over Sam's laughter. She glanced up and down the street before crossing. Campus was pretty dead, this time of night. "Bandages and everything. So he sets fire to the poor guy - no, really, swear to God - and of course it's _paper_ so - HEY!" Krissy nearly dropped the phone as she scrambled to get out of the way of a car that had come speeding around the corner. At the last second it veered sharply away, missing her by mere inches.

"Krissy? What is it? What's wrong?!" Sam's voice demanded through the speakers.

"ASSHOLE!" Krissy yelled at the retreating vehicle, dusting herself off. "Sorry, Sam, just an idiot who can't drive. I'm fine. What was I saying? Oh yeah, so the paper catches fire..."

Krissy's voice faded out of earshot as Dean, perched atop a nearby parking garage with his legs dangling over the side, watched her walk safely away from the near-accident scene.

"That was well done," Cas said, appearing behind him. Dean shifted one of his wings out of the way so Cas could sit next to him.

"Shoulda steered the bastard into the nearest streetlight," Dean said. "Who the fuck drives like that on a college campus?"

"Dean," Cas said, tone chiding.

"Yeah, yeah. Guardian angel. Not an angel of judgment. Lucky for him."

The two sat in companionable silence for a time, enjoying the clear night sky and the movements of humans far below them.

"Are you ever going to let Sam know how everything turned out?" Cas asked eventually.

"Maybe. I don't know. I don't think he was expecting this when he shipped me off to Heaven. I think he was thinking he'd either get his brother back or lose him forever. Not sure how he'd take this. Besides, he seems... happy. Doing his Man of Letters thing. He doesn't need me walking back into his life."

"It's up to you, of course. But I don't think he'd be displeased."

"Hm. I guess. Hey Cas, he ever pray to you anymore?" Dean asked.

"No," Cas said. "At first he did. He would ask for updates. But for so long I couldn't tell him anything... I think perhaps he has drawn the conclusion that you did not survive the process and are at rest in Heaven."

A cloud passed over the moon, and then another one. The night darkened.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

A light drizzle began to fall and Dean extended his wing over Cas's head. Cas looked at him oddly.

"Dean, you know I am indifferent to the rain. If I wish to be dry, it will be so."

Dean laughed. "Cas, I'm trying to be adorable and romantic here. You're making it kind of hard."

"Ah, I see. In that case, carry on," Cas said, though from his uncertain glance up at Dean's wing, he didn't really get it.

"Oh never mind. Moment's gone. Hey, tell me something about this whole guardian angel gig. My job is to protect souls, right?"

"That is the primary goal, yes. Though more specifically, you're to protect souls whose time is not yet come. You may get more specific assignments at times, but in general... yes, your job is simply to protect."

"So, I get to pick my targets?"

"I wouldn't call them targets, Dean..."

"Whatever. My protectees. I have some freedom of choice?"

"Certainly. There used to be strict assignments, but as you know, Heaven is not as regimented as it once was. If an important job comes up - some soul with whom Hell is about to interfere, whose fate could alter much larger events, for example - we may require you to take that job. But that's rare these days. Why all the questions? Did you have someone in mind?"

"Well, there's a certain soul who's missed out on a lot of protecting over the years. Figure I owe him some. So tell me, Cas: if I wanted to grip a soul tight and raise it from perdition, where would I start?"

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the demon's progress comes to an end. Thank you all so very much for reading! I had fun writing this back in August and September, but I had no idea if anyone else would actually enjoy it.
> 
> [Krissy's blog](http://hunter-slash-pediatrician.tumblr.com/) will stay up for posterity, though it's done updating now. But I did go back and add in links on the posts that correspond to specific chapters in this story. If there is a link, it'll always be tucked in the last piece of punctuation on the post.
> 
> Do share your questions and comments with me. Obviously you can comment here, but if you need a more detailed answer to something, I encourage you to hop on over to [my tumblr](http://solomonara.tumblr.com/). My ask box is always open.
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


End file.
